Modelling of Low Pressure Reactive RF Plasmas

Abstract
The paper deals with microphysical modelling the low pressure reactive r.f. plasmas which are widely used in plasma technology particularly for etching of thin solid films in microelectronic pattern replication and plasma enhanced deposition of solid films. To model these types of plasma processing in addition to the complex discharge physics the production of chemically active species by electron impact reactions with the feed gas, the gas phase reactions and the transport of active species to the discharge surface as well as the surface reactions must be adequately described. The objective of the paper is to present the basic ideas which are applied when modelling the mentioned processes, to illustrate the complicated interplay of these processes in a real reactive r.f. discharge and to give some outlooks on future activities needed for improving the modelling.