Consequences of photon beam excitation in an inductively coupled plasma

Summary form only given. In this paper we present results from a numerical study of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) system which is excited by a photon beam. The hybrid plasma equipment model (HPEM), modified to include the Monte Carlo photon beam (MCPB) module, is the simulation tool used in the study. The MCPB models the injection and propagation of a photon beam through a plasma processing reactor using a Monte Carlo simulation. Photon absorption in the plasma is described using a variable particle weighting method. Multiple photon species are allowed, and photon absorption cross sections for photolysis and ionization are input through a parser. Source rates for charged and neutral species, which result from photon absorption, are generated by the MCPB and used by the fluid module of the HPEM. We will present the results of a parametric study of the effects of an auxiliary photon source on species densities and plasma potential for a Cl/sub 2/ etching plasma.