Overview

An Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) is a type of plasma source in which the energy is

supplied by electrical currents produced by electromagnetic induction; that is, by time-

varying magnetic fields. In its simplest form, an inductively coupled plasma consists of a

vacuum vessel, into which the gas to be ionized is administered, and an induction coil,

driven by a source of RF power. The coil is generally separated from the vacuum region

by a dielectric window. The wide range of applications for RF-driven, inductively

coupled plasma sources has recently expanded into processing tools for coating or

etching systems in the microelectronics industry.