Plasma Etching III

Precise control of the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) is essential for minimizing plasma induced damage and improving selectivity in plasma processing. Among various strategies, waveform engineering of the substrate voltage is widely used to modulate the IEDF. We present a user-customizable IEDF simulation framework capable of handling both sinusoidal and arbitrarily tailored voltage waveforms, offering users physical insight into waveform-driven ion dynamics. The model incorporates calculation of sheath and an ion motion, enabling simulations to complete in under one minute. The resulting IEDF trends show consistent IEDF trends with changes in electron temperature, plasma density, and driving frequency, in agreement with previous studies. The reliability of the proposed simulation framework was validated and further demonstrated by successfully generating a mono-energetic IEDF through a tailored voltage waveform, offering practical insight into waveform-based plasma process optimization.