Impulsive force phenomenon of electric field stress causing serious particle contamination in plasma etching equipment

To demonstrate electric field stress acting as an impulsive force, the action of the stress is investigated using a standard particle. Particles floated from a substrate owing to electric field stress are observed using an in situ particle monitoring system. The results indicate that the more rapidly an electric field changes, the more the stress increases, which demonstrates the impulsive force effect of electric field stress. From the results of this study, we can conclude that the cause of the instantaneous generation of many flaked particles in plasma etching chambers is electric field stress working as an impulsive force.