Effect of flow rate on the plasma parameters and electron energy distribution in plasma process reactor

Effect of the flow rate on plasma parameters and electron energy distribution (EEDF) was studied in plasma process reactor. As flow rates increase at a fixed gas pressure of 5 mTorr, noticeable increase in plasma density and decrease in electron temperature were observed with evolution of the EEDF from bi-Maxwellian to Maxwellian distribution. This result is mainly due to the pressure gradient between a discharge region and a pumping port region where the gas pressure measurement occurs. Based on the measurements of gas pressures at two different regions, a considerable difference in the gas pressure between the discharge region and the pumping port region was found.