Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2001 Oxidative Conversion of PFC via Plasma Processing with Dielectric Barrier Discharges Sheng Jen Yu 1 and Moo Been Chang 1 Receiûed July 20, 2000; reûised October 13, 2000 Perfluorocompounds (PFCs) haûe been extensiûely used as plasma etching and chemical ûapor deposition (CVD) gases for semiconductor manufacturing pro- cesses. PFCs haûe significant effects on the global warming and haûe ûery long atmospheric lifetimes. Laboratory-scale experiments were performed to eûaluate the effectiûeness of CF 4 conûersion by using dielectric barrier discharges (DBD). The results of this study reûealed that the remoûal efficiency of CF 4 increased with application of higher ûoltage, gas residence time, oxygen content, and frequency. Combined plasma catalysis (CPC ) is an innoûatiûe way for abatement of PFC and experimental results indicated that combining plasma with catalysts could effec- tiûely remoûe CF 4 . Products were analyzed by Fourier transform–infrared spec- troscopy (FT–IR) and the major products of the CF 4 processing with DBD were CO 2 , COF 2 , and CO, when O was included in the discharge process. Preliminary results indicated that as high as 65.9% of CF 4 was decomposed with CPC operated at 15 kV, 240 Hz for the gas stream containing 300 ppmû CF 4 , 20% by ûolume O 2 , and 40% by ûolume Ar, with N 2 as the carrier gas. KEY WORDS: Plasma; CF 4 conversion; dielectric barrier discharge; PFC; catalyst. 1. INTRODUCTION Perfluorocompounds (PFCs), such as tetrafluoromethane (CF 4 ) and hexafluoroethane (C 2 F 6 ) are widely used in the semiconductor industry for plasma etching and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). These PFCs are mostly inert and noncorrosive gases that intensely absorb infrared radiation and, therefore, are capable of influencing the greenhouse effect. The lifetimes for C 2 F 6 and CF 4 are 10,000 and 50,000 years, and the GWP 100 (global warming potential with time horizon 100 years) are 9200 and 1 Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Central University, Chungli, Taiwan 320, R.O.C. e-mail: mbchang @ncuen.ncu.edu.tw 311 0272-4324010900-0311$19.500  2001 Plenum Publishing Corporation