Development of a novel plasma probe for the investigation and control of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition coating processes

A plasma probe and measuring method were developed to simultaneously determine both the electron density,n(e), and floating potential in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) coating processes within low-pressure plasmas. The functionality of the probe with a high deposition rate is demonstrated on the basis of examples using hexamethyldisiloxane as a precursor gas. The results show that the developed probe can determine both then(e)(similar to 10(15) m(-3)) and the time-varying floating potential. The results also indicate that the probe is effective for monitoring the changes in the plasma condition caused by the pressure and the gas flow rate during the coating process. This method can contribute to confirm the process and chamber conditions in PECVD processes.