The effects of magnetic fields on a planar inductively coupled argon plasma

The profiles of the magnetic field component of the RF field, the impedance characteristics and the plasma parameters (electron density, electron temperature and plasma potential) of a 13.56 MHz, planar inductively coupled argon plasma were studied in the presence of an external magnetic field and compared with those of the non-magnetized discharge. An efficient RF power transfer and stable impedance matching with a low Q factor (omega L/R) of the system could be obtained with the application of a relatively low magnetic field (5-20 G) in the pressure range 0.5-10 mTorr. The RF magnetic field measurement revealed that the wave excitation was responsible for such improvements. Due to the effective power coupling and improved confinement by the magnetic field, the electron density increased by a factor of two and the plasma potential decreased.