Open Access

S Stepanov, S Welzel, J Röpcke, J Meichsner

• Fluorocarbon containing capacitively coupled radio frequency (cc-rf) plasmas are widely used in technical applications and as model systems for fundamental investigations of complex plasmas. Absorption spectroscopy based on pulsed quantum cascade lasers (QCL) was applied in the mid-IR spectral range of 1269-1275 cm-1. Absolute densities of the precursor molecule CF4 and of the stable product C3F8 were measured with a time resolution of up to 1 ms in pulsed CF4/H2 asymmetrical cc-rf (13.56 MHz) discharges. For this purpose both the non-negligible temperature dependence of the absorption coefficients and the interference of the absorption features of CF4 and C3F8 had to be taken into account in the target spectral range. Therefore, at two different spectral positions composite absorption spectra were acquired under the same plasma conditions in order to discriminate between CF4 and C3F8 contributions. A total consumption of∼ 12 % was observed for CF4 during a 1 s plasma pulse, whereas C3F8 appeared to be produced mainly from amorphous fluorocarbon layers deposited at the reactor walls. A gas temperature increase by ∼ 100 K in the plasma pulse was estimated from the measurements. Additionally, not yet identified unresolved absorption (potentially from the excited CF4 molecule) was found during the àon-phase'.