Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2011
Spatially resolved concentration profiles of ground-state chlorine atoms were measured in CF3 Cl/Ar RF plasmas using two-photon laser induced fluorescence. A significant Cl gradient was found between the two electrodes under conditions typical for plasma etching. This experimental observation is consistent with previous model predictions which assumed the primary loss of Cl was a second-order surface recombination on the upper electrode which is partially limited by gaseous diffusion.