Capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) reactors frequently use showerhead electrodes to distribute feed gases. These reactors employ a perforated or a porous planar surface to dispense reactant gases more-or-less uniformly over a wafer surface. Simulation of these reactors is difficult because of the surface reactions occurring on the showerhead face, clogging up the holes. The flow emerging from the holes on the showerhead face alters the species transport to and from the surface, and affects the consumption and production of reactant gases at the surface. In this study, simulations are carried out of a CCP discharge in an Applied Materials P5000 reactor with a showerhead electrode. The effects of the showerhead face chemistry are quantified, and strategies for dealing the surface reactions on the showerhead face with the porous media model are evaluated.
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