LAUSR

Energy partitioning for molecules formed from fluorinated plasma systems has been measured using laser-induced fluorescence, optical emission, and broadband absorption spectroscopies. For the two radicals discussed here, SiF in tetrafluorosilane plasmas, and CF in CxFy-type fluorocarbon plasmas, high electronic excited state vibrational temperatures, TV, suggest that vibrational modes are preferentially excited over other degrees of freedom. In CxFy plasma systems, rotational temperatures, TR, for the radicals equilibrate to the plasma gas temperature and remain independent of changing plasma parameters. TR for ground state CF2 molecules are elevated in comparison to the excited state radical. Translational temperatures (TT) and TR for SiF increase concomitantly with increasing vibrational temperatures, suggesting that a vibrational-translational energy exchange mechanism is the preferred pathway for vibrational relaxation in these molecules and rotational degrees of freedom are more easily thermalized co...