Development and Characterization of a Large-Area ECR Plasma Source for Copper Dry Etching in AMOLED Display Manufacturin

Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and Capacitively Coupled Plasma (CCP) sources have been widely used as large-area plasma sources in advanced semiconductor and display manufacturing. However, these plasma sources are approaching their physical limitations due to the increasing complexity and harsh conditions of plasma processes. To address these challenges, Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma sources utilizing microwave power have attracted significant attention, offering higher plasma density and electron temperature even at low pressures by efficient electron acceleration using high-frequency microwaves (2.45 GHz). Nevertheless, the industrial application of ECR plasmas has been limited due to the difficulty in achieving large-area plasma generation.

Previous versions of the ECR plasma source have been successfully applied to copper thin film dry etching processes and carbon nanowall (CNW) synthesis[1-4], demonstrating their industrial feasibility and versatility for advanced material processing.

In this study, we present a newly developed large-area ECR plasma source incorporating bi-directional microwave injection and optimized magnetic confinement to overcome the limitations of conventional ECR plasma designs. The system expands the plasma generation area while maintaining high-density, uniform plasma conditions suitable for next-generation AMOLED copper dry etching applications.

This presentation will cover the design principles of the plasma source, results from three-dimensional electromagnetic field simulations, fabrication methodology, and plasma diagnostics confirming the successful realization of the system.