Numerical and analytic techniques to study capacitive RF discharges

Capacitively coupled RF plasma sources are used extensively in the microelectronics industry for commercial production as well as laboratory research and development. This paper deals with the physics of the processes involved and development, both theoretical and analytical, that have helped in understanding the discharge processes. The review begins with a description of the RF discharge. A literature survey provides the experimental efforts that have been directed towards investigating the physics of the capacitively coupled discharges. Measurements of the various plasma parameters are dealt with. Analytical and numerical methods that have been successfully used to model the discharge processes are treated in considerable detail. The paper concludes with a brief comparison of the various techniques.