ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the plasma sources most widely used for industrial plasma processing under vacuum or which hold promise for future such applications. Information on vacuum plasma sources and their applications may be found in Batenin et al, Boenig, Lieberman and Lichtenberg, Lieberman et al, Raizer et al. Parallel-plate glow discharge plasma sources are widely used in the United States for microelectronic deposition and etching, and for many plasma-processing applications outside the microelectronics industry. The parallel-plate radiofrequency (RF) plasma source operating at 13.56 MHz is widely used in the microelectronic industry in the United States. The plasma parameters of parallel-plate glow discharges depend on whether the plasma sources are energized by direct current (DC) or RF power. In DC parallel-plate plasma sources, the only plasma usually present is the negative glow of an obstructed abnormal glow discharge.
