Applicability of 0-dimensional (global) model to the characterization of inductively-coupled plasma in reactive-ion etching systems

We summarized and analyzed the assumptions used for simulating inductive discharge plasmas under typical reactive-ion etching conditions. We confirmed that applying the Maxwellian approximation to the electron energy distribution function provides an accurate description of the kinetics of electron impact processes. We demonstrated that both direct simulation (based on solving chemical kinetics equations with Langmuir probe diagnostics data as input) and self-consistent simulation (incorporating input power balance and ionization/recombination balance equations for charged particles) achieve satisfactory agreement with data from independent experiments. We provided examples comparing simulation predictions with experimental data for $Ar$, $Cl_2$ and $CF_4$ plasmas. However, the application of self-consistent simulation in complex multi-component systems is limited by the lack or low reliability of data on electron impact cross-sections and transport characteristics, such as diffusion coefficients and mobilities for unstable plasma chemical reaction products.