Variations of plasma potential in RF discharges with DC-grounded electrode

The self-bias voltage Vbias and the plasma potential Vp are the key parameters to control plasma-wall interactions in radio-frequency (RF) asymmetric plasma discharges. Knowing these two parameters allows to monitor the ion energy distribution on the electrode surface. However, in a direct current (DC) coupled plasma, the plasma potential increased to hundreds of volts while no more Vbias developed on the driven electrode. In addition, the plasma potential is strongly impacted by the electrode-wall area ratio. Several analytical or semi-analytical models exist to explain this phenomenon and to approximate the plasma potential, knowing the electrode-wall area ratio considering capacitive sheaths or a combination of resistive and capacitive sheaths. The Vp and several other plasma parameters were investigated experimentally with a Langmuir probe and a Retarding field energy analyser (RFEA) for different electrode/wall area ratios in low-temperature RF plasma. The validity of the models was studied for an extensive range of area ratios with different pressures and RF driving amplitude. Moreover, the presence of strong stochastic heating of the plasma for area ratios below 6 was evidenced by an increased ion flux and an increased electron temperature.