Photoresist etching by atmospheric pressure uniform-glow plasma

An atmospheric pressure uniform-glow plasma (APUGP) operated by radio-frequency (RF) power at 13.56 MHz has been developed for etching, cleaning, surface treatment, and deposition of thin films among others. This plasma employs a capacitive coupling electrode design and produces a stable, volumetric glow discharge in a large disc area of 150 mm diameter using argon and oxygen mixture gas at atmospheric pressure. Its electrical characteristics were obtained by simultaneous measurements of voltage and current. In addition, typical photoresist-AZ9918 films spin-coated on 4-in. silicon wafers have been etched using this plasma source, which shows promise for replacing low-pressure plasma devices for some existing applications.