ABSTRACT
Plasma deposition and etching processes have for many years been widely used for film patterning and deposition steps in the fabrication of microelectronic components. This chapter provides the reader with a perspective on the unique features and the inherent limitations of the plasma deposition process for these macroelectronic applications. In a plasma deposition process, electrical energy is supplied to the gas through the mediation of electrons which are accelerated in an applied electric field. The most important phenomena that take place in the plasma excitation process, in which condensable species are created from the precursor gases, can be understood by significantly simplifying an inherently complicated process. The scientific and commercial importance of plasma deposited materials and devices have resulted in a proliferation of experimental and commercial equipment. The commercialization of the plasma deposition process generally requires the transformation from a working laboratory process to a process which can economically produce more or larger devices in commercial quantities.
