RF Plasmas

The RF plasma deposition process is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing. Simulating the deposition process is valuable because it allows engineers to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms, optimize parameters to achieve desired material properties, and predict potential issues.

However, when it comes to modeling plasma there are several difficulties facing the industry. First, plasmas are hard to model. When the pressure is too low, computational fluid dynamics are no longer valid. When the pressure is too high, particle-in-cell is too computationally intensive due to the fine mesh needed to resolve the Debye length. Second, plasma recipes are complex and proprietary. They require many species (~10-20) and are described by many reactions (~100).

Improve Manufacturing

Improve your manufacturing process by working with EMA to:

• Improve your manufacturing process by working with EMA to:
• Increase the size of the manufacturing chamber to handle more wafers
• Ensure the quality and homogeneity of the deposition
• Improve the speed of deposition
• Develop new deposition processes and optimize existing setups
• Assess the quality of plasma generated by third party hardware
• Avoid electrostatic discharge and resulting damage to equipment
• Obtain plasma species velocities at wafer surface for accurate surface reaction simulations

Our team of experts solve complex multiphysics problems requiring multiple time-scales with Ansys Charge Plus. The software has the ability to simulate the gas injection, plasma formation, and surface interaction rates of your plasma chambers.

Plasma Industry Applications

• High Voltage Engineering
  • Breakdown voltage in any gases with impurities
  • Creepage and clearance
• High Current/ Low Voltage Switches
  • Current breakers in any gases and low-pressure environments with external magnetic field effects
  • Ablation damage of electrodes
  • Fuse modeling
• Space Radiation Effects
  • Ion thrusters
  • Plume sputtering effects on solar arrays
  • LEO drag and charging
  • LEO and VLEO ionospheric plasmas effects
• Particle Beam Generation and Dynamics
  • Electron beam simulation for beam lines
  • Ion generation for beam lines from electron flux
• RF Amplifiers
  • Klystron power amplifiers
• Packaging Industry
  • Ionization of air around packaging for cleaning surfaces
  • Silicon oxide deposition for keeping product freshness
• Medical X-ray Devices
  • Electron gun for X-ray generation
• RF Plasma for Semiconductor Manufacturing
  • Plasma dynamic in chambers designed for thin film deposition/ wafer etching or sputtering
  • Chamber manufacturers for design improvements
  • Electronics manufacturers for chamber and wafer
• Electrical Discharge Machining
  • Sustained arcs to carve out metal
• Vacuum and Rarified Gas Systems
  • Laser resonant cavities
  • Vacuum chambers and pipes
• Electronics Industry
  • Ionic wind for cooling
• Plasma Torch/ Gas Heating
  • Jet engine concepts
  • Methane torch

Contact Us

For more details about our RF plasma capabilities, watch our Solving Electromagnetic Solutions webinar 3D Plasma Simulations for PECVD, Sputtering, Etching, and more in Ansys Charge Plus by clicking here.

Contact us by clicking the button below to see how we can help you.