Changing the RF bias is widely used to control the ion energy in inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Here, the plasma densities were measured using the floating harmonic method at various ICP powers and RF bias power frequencies. It is observed that there is an RF bias power (PB,min) that minimizes the plasma density. With increasing ICP power, PB,min is increased. When the frequency is changed from 12.5 MHz to 2 MHz, PB,min is decreased. To understand this phenomenon, the relative variation of the plasma density (δn) with the RF bias power is considered based on a power balance equation. PB,min is determined by δn, and δn changes based on the self-bias voltage caused by the RF bias power. Because the self-bias voltages change depending on the ICP power and frequency of the RF bias power, PB,min is shifted by altering the ICP power and the RF bias power frequency. The results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

The floating probe method (FPM) applicable for processing plasma diagnostics was developed for the measurement of ion density and electron temperature (J. Appl. Phys. 101 033305). When an AC voltage is applied to a floating probe, harmonic currents are generated due to the nonlinearity of the sheath. The electron temperature and ion density are obtained using the harmonic currents and the voltage across the sheath. However, in the FPM, when the sensing resistance becomes similar to the sheath resistance, iterative calculations must be performed to compensate for the voltage reduction across the sheath due to the sensing resistor. In this paper, the voltage across a DC blocking capacitor is measured to directly obtain the voltage across the sheath. Therefore, it is not necessary to compensate for the voltage reduction across the sheath through iterative calculations. The electron temperature was increasingly overestimated as the capacity of the DC blocking capacitor became smaller. This overestimation was caused by the capacitive load effect and was compensated for using a correction for the second harmonic current. The measured electron temperature and ion density were compared with those from electron energy distribution functions (EEDFs) in an inductively coupled plasma, and they were in good agreement.