Ion energy and angular distributions in low-pressure capacitive oxygen RF discharges driven by tailored voltage waveforms

Abstract

We investigate the energy and angular distributions of ions reaching the electrodes in low-pressure, capacitively coupled oxygen radio-frequency discharges. These distributions, as well as the possibility of the independent control of the ion flux and the ion energy are analysed for different types of excitation: single- and classical dual-frequency, as well as valley- and sawtooth-type waveforms. The studies are based on kinetic, particle-based simulations that reveal the physics of these discharges in great detail. The conditions cover weakly collisional to highly collisional domains of ion transport via the electrode sheaths. Analytical models are also applied to understand the features of the energy and angular distribution functions.