| Summary: | Yttrium oxyfluoride (YOF) protective materials were fabricated on sputter-deposited yttrium oxide (Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) by high-density (sulfur fluoride) SF<sub>6</sub> plasma irradiation. The structures, compositions, and fluorocarbon-plasma etching behaviors of these films were systematically characterized by various techniques. After exposure to SF<sub>6</sub> plasma, the Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> film surface was fluorinated significantly to form a YOF film with an approximate average thickness of 30 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed few changes in the elemental and chemical compositions of the surface layer after fluorination, confirming the chemical stability of the YOF/Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> sample. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed a complete lattice pattern on the YOF/Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> structure after fluorocarbon plasma exposure. These results indicate that the SF<sub>6</sub> plasma-treated Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> film is more erosion resistant than the commercial Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> coating, and thus accumulates fewer contamination particles.
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