Abstract: Fluid dynamic models are generally appropriate for the investigation of inductively coupled plasmas. A commercial ICP etcher filled with argon plasma is simulated in this study. The simulation is based on a multiphysical software, COMSOLTM, which is a partial differential equation solver. Just as with other plasma fluid models, there are drift–diffusion approximations for ions, the quasi-neutrality assumption for electrons movements, reduced Maxwell equations for electromagnetic fields, electron energy equations for electron temperatures and the Navier–Stokes equation for neutral background gas. The two-dimensional distribution of plasma parameters are shown at 200 W of power and 1.33 Pa (10 mTorr) of pressure. Then the profile comparison of the electron number density and temperature with respect to power is illustrated. Finally we believe that there might be some disagreement between the predicted values and the real ones, and the reasons for this difference would be the Maxwellian eedf assumption and the lack of the cross sections of collisions and the reaction rates.

Key words: inductively coupled plasma,  simulation,  COMSOL