An experimental study of photoresist material etching by an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet with Ar/air mixed gas

In this paper, electrical and optical emission spectrometer (OES) characteristics of an Ar/air atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) based on the plasma needle and plasma pencil systems were investigated and analyzed. Electrical measurement results showed that the breakdown and working voltage of the jet increased with the increase of the ratio of air/Ar, and the emission intensity of Ar* significantly decreased. For the plasma needle, when the ratio of air/Ar reached 1, the OES characteristics of Ar/air were similar to those of air plasma, and the main excited species was N-2*. For the plasma pencil, when a little air impurity was added in Ar, the emission intensities of N-2* species will be significantly increased. Based on these two APPJ systems, photoresist materials were etched, etched results showed that the etched surface was easier to be oxidized with the addition of air into Ar. The etched surface was cleaner with pure Ar plasma with scanning substrate methods than that with the Ar/air mixture. Etched results of higher ratios of air/Ar plasma were similar to those of air plasma.