Fundamental study on numerically controlled plasma processing via the spatiotemporal control of excitation light

We propose numerically controlled plasma processing by temporally and spatially controlling the excitation light irradiation area for the high-throughput and high-precision finishing of semiconductor substrates. The key is to introduce pulse modulation into the high-frequency power supply for plasma generation and to control the on- and off-times in each cycle. The off-time must be sufficiently long to eliminate charged particles in the plasma, whereas the on-time must be short enough to suppress plasma propagation. In this fundamental study, a one-dimensional wire-electrode etching system was used to investigate on- and off-times, demonstrating processing only in areas irradiated with excitation light.