Verification of Sheath Potential of Processing Plasma in an Electron-Beam-Excited Plasma Apparatus Using a Current Balance Equation

High-density reactive processing plasmas are used to fabricate new materials in electron-beam-excited plasma (EBEP) apparatus, and sheaths have become important in processing plasmas because an ion sheath surrounds the substrates. In order to determine the relationship between the sheath potential and the electron energy distribution function (EEDF), the measured sheath potentials are compared with those calculated using a theoretical current balance equation at the sheath edge in the EBEP, using the experimentally obtained parameters. The results show that monochromatic electron beam current is assumed, and that the profile of the sheath potential depends on the beam potential (E b') at the sheath edge in the plasma.