Advantages of modulated-power plasma processing.

Discharge chemistry can be altered.
- K. Takahashi, et. al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 32, L1088-91 (1993). “The ratio of CF and CF2 radical densities to CF3 radical density was successfully controlled through variation of the duty cycle” for a 100 ms modulation period.
- S. Samukawa and S. Furuoya, Appl. Phys. Lett. 63, 2044-6 (1993). Modulating an ECR plasma “...enables the control of the CF2 radical and the F atom density ratio in CHF3…”
- H. Sugai, et. al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 13, 887-93 (1995). “The density ratio CFx/F (x=2,3) increases with decreasing rf on-time.” in CF4/H2 ICP.
Properties of deposited films can be altered.
- Overzet et. al. Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 98, 321-26 (1987). “Films deposited from modulated glows … have significantly smaller optical bandgaps than those deposited from comparable CW discharges.”
- Y. Watanabe et. al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 53, 1263-5 (1988). Modulation “brought about an improvement in the deposition rate of” a-Si:H “films and in the film quality as well as a drastic suppression of powder concentration in the discharge space.”