Influence of activated polymer on the etching rate of silicon in CF4+H2 plasma

The reactive ion etching (RIE) of silicon in CF₄+H₂ plasma is considered. The influence of activated polymer on the RIE rate of silicon in CF₄+H₂ plasma is determined by extrapolation of experimentally measured kinetics of the etching rate. It is found that increased adsorption of CF₂ radicals suppresses the RIE rate of silicon in CF₄+H₂ plasma during the initial stages of the etching process. The formation of activated polymer becomes pronounced when adsorbed CF₂ radicals are slowly activated. The activated polymer intensifies the etching reaction and enhances the etching rate. C atoms, produced during the reaction, contribute to the formation of polymer on the surface. The increased concentration of the polymer suppresses the RIE rate of silicon in CF₄+H₂ plasma at later stages of the etching process.     

SiC材料的低速率浅刻蚀工艺研究

对比研究了SiC材料在CF4+O2混合气体中的ICP刻蚀和RIE刻蚀,获得了刻蚀速率、刻蚀表面粗糙度随刻蚀功率、偏置功率、工作真空、氧含量等工艺条件的变化规律,研究结果表明,通过牺牲一定的刻蚀速率可以获得原子量级的刻蚀表面粗糙度,能够满足SiC微波功率器件研制的要求.     

Ion sputter etching of ZnO:Ga thin film surfaces

In this article the modification of surface morphology of ZnO:Ga (GZO) thin films by ion sputter etching is presented. GZO thin films were prepared at room temperature on Corning glass substrates by both normal and oblique angle RF diode sputtering from ZnO:2%Ga ceramic target in Ar gas. Ion sputter etching was performed by RF re-sputtering of GZO thin films on substrates. During RF sputter etching, Ar pressure of 1.3 Pa and RF power of 250 W were kept constant, only the time of sputter etching was changed. Ion sputter etching had remarkable influence on surface morphology of GZO thin films: increase of roughness R_q and the “homogenization” of film surfaces, i.e. skewness (R_sk) and spikiness (R_ku) parameters (R_sk ≈ 0/R_ku ≈ 3).Surface root-mean-square roughness (R_q) increased from 15.3 nm (after sputter deposition) to 29.1 nm (after ion sputter etching). For obliquely thin films increased from 16.5 nm (after sputter deposition) to 38.2 nm. Changes of these parameters R_q, R_sk, R_ku influenced optical properties of GZO films, increased Haze parameter up to values 7.7% and width of optical band gap 3.44 eV, respectively.     

Etching characteristics of LiNbO3 crystal by fluorine gas plasma reactive ion etching

The etching characteristics of a LiNbO₃ single crystal have been investigated using plasma reactive ion etching (RIE) with a mixture of CF₄/Ar/H₂. The etching rate of LiNbO₃ with the mixture of CF₄/Ar/H₂ gases was evaluated. The etching surface was evaluated by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy methods. The rate-determining process of RIE is the supply of F radicals in RIE. The surface morphology of the etched LiNbO₃ changed with the increase in the H₂ gas flow ratio. The surface profile became flat, on optimizing the etching conditions, similar to the surface of non-etched LiNbO₃. The X-ray diffraction peak for etched LiNbO₃ using the mixture of CF₄ and Ar gases did not appear, because a non-crystalline layer was formed. It was found that the crystallinity of the surface is dependent on both, the flow rate of H₂ gas and the etching time. F atoms exist in the contamination layer of the sample etched, using the mixture of CF₄, Ar and H₂ gases. Optimum etching conditions, considering both the surface flatness and the crystallinity, were determined.     

Fluorine-doped SiO2 and CF low-k dielectrics obtained during RIE process in fluorine plasmas

We have investigated the effect of silicon dioxide reactive ion etching (RIE) parameters and the type of plasma on the concentration of fluorine and its chemical compounds, such as CF, SiF and SiOF, in the polymer layer that is formed during this process on the top of etched layer, and their thermal stability.The polymeric layer formed on the etched surface appeared to consist of fluorine and silicon fluoride (CF, SiOF and SiF). The thickness and chemical composition of polymer layer formed on the etched surface depends on the type of used fluorine plasma (CF₄ or CHF₃). Low-k layer formed during RIE in CHF₃ plasma consists of CF, SiOF and SiF species, whose intensity and thickness depend on the etching process parameters. For CF₄ plasma, polymer layer consists of SiOF and SiF species, whose intensity and thickness depend also on the etching process parameters. However, only for CHF₃ plasma it is possible to control the etching/deposition process dynamically by the adequate adjusting process parameters.In contrast to the CF/SiOF/SiF layer formed during RIE in CHF₃ plasma, the SiOF/SiF ultra-thin layer is not thermally stable and its thickness is too low for the intermetal dielectric (IMD) application.     

Etching characteristics of LiNbO3 crystal by fluorine gas plasma reactive ion etching

The etching characteristics of a LiNbO₃ single crystal have been investigated using plasma reactive ion etching (RIE) with a mixture of CF₄/Ar/H₂. The etching rate of LiNbO₃ with the mixture of CF₄/Ar/H₂ gases was evaluated. The etching surface was evaluated by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy methods. The rate-determining process of RIE is the supply of F radicals in RIE. The surface morphology of the etched LiNbO₃ changed with the increase in the H₂ gas flow ratio. The surface profile became flat, on optimizing the etching conditions, similar to the surface of non-etched LiNbO₃. The X-ray diffraction peakfor etched LiNbO₃ using the mixture of CF₄ and Ar gases did not appear, because a non-crystalline layer was formed. It was found that the crystallinity of the surface is dependent on both, the flow rate of H₂ gas and the etching time. F atoms exist in the contamination layer of the sample etched, using the mixture of CF₄, Ar and H₂ gases. Optimum etching conditions, considering both the surface flatness and the crystallinity, were determined.     

Fabrication technology of high-frequency and high-power durable surface acoustic wave devices for mobile terminals

The addition of Ti, Ge, and Zn to sputtered Al electrodes is investigated, to obtain both high-power durability and fine-dimensional control in high-frequency surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. Ti is more effective than Ge, Zn or conventional Cu. The improvement in the electrode durability at a high SAW power is related to the grain refinement and the static stress incorporated by addition of Ti, Ge, Zn, and Cu by sputter deposition. For Ti addition to Al, dry etching (reactive ion etching) with gases containing BCl₃ can be more easily performed than in the case of Cu addition. By using RIE and dyed UV positive-type resist, the line-width deviation of 1.2-μm electrodes can be improved to the small value of 95 nm, which is 40% of that in the conventional wet-etched case.     

Reactive-ion-etching (RIE) process in CF4 plasma as a method of fluorine implantation

We have investigated the concentration of fluorine in a newly formed film, which is located on the etched surface during modification of thermal silicon dioxide layer in reactive-ion-etching (RIE) system in CF₄ plasma. We try to find the correlation between parameters of the RIE process, depth and concentration of implanted fluorine ions, and finally, the thermal stability of fluorine ions incorporated into etched layer.During the RIE of silicon dioxide in fluorine plasma, on the etched surface a layer containing fluorine atoms is formed. This layer is very thin (about 1.5 nm) and has high concentration of fluorine ions. This concentration can be changed with r.f. power, CF₄ gas pressure and CF₄ flow. The suitable selection of etching parameters makes inspection of concentration and of the depth of fluorine ions incorporated into silicon possible, during the etching process. Unfortunately, ultra-shallow junction formed in this way does not show resistance to high temperature. So it is recommended only for low-budget technologies.     

软膜紫外光固化纳米压印中Amonil光刻胶的刻蚀参数优化(英文)

报道了反应离子刻蚀转移图形过程中对Amonil光刻胶的刻蚀参数优化的结果.利用软膜紫外光固化纳米压印技术,首先制备了线宽/间距均为200 nm的纳米光栅结构.然后采用反应离子刻蚀的方法去除残留的Amonil光刻胶.研究了不同的气体组成、射频功率、压强和气体流量对刻蚀形貌、表面粗糙度以及刻蚀速度的影响.在优化的工艺条件下,获得了理想的具有垂直侧壁形貌和较小表面粗糙度的纳米光栅阵列.结果表明,选择优化的刻蚀工艺参数,既能有效地改善图形转移的性能,同时也能提高所制备结构的光学应用特性.     

Simulation of Si and SiO2 etching in CF4 plasma

The reactive ion etching (RIE) of Si and SiO₂ in CF₄ plasma is considered. The dependences of RIE rates of Si and SiO₂ on pressure have maxima due to the presence of single-atom vacancies. The RIE rates approach the maximum values at different pressures but at the same concentration of SiF and SiOF molecules in the adsorbed layer. Using the obtained results Si/SiO₂ etching selectivity is investigated.     

Reactive ion etching of Pt electrode using O2-based plasma

We have studied the reactive ion etching (RIE) of Pt electrode using O₂ plasma with additional gases. Dual frequency RIE tool was used to obtain a high-energy ion bombardment. We have investigated the Pt etching profile using O₂/HBr/Ar plasma. We reveal that there is a optimal gas flow ratio for attaining the node separation of Pt electrodes at small critical-dimension (CD) pattern.     

A combined top-down and bottom-up approach to fabricate silica films with bimodal porosity

We report a method to fabricate silica films with bimodal porosity based on the surfactant-directed self-assembly process followed by post-treatment with reactive ion etching (RIE). By RIE of a surfactant-templated mesoporous silica film with a 3D hexagonal structure, vertically-etched pores with the size of several tens of nanometers and the depth of ca. 60 nm are generated, while the original caged mesopores (ca. 5 nm in size) are still retained in the unetched parts of the film. Pre-treatment of the mesoporous silica film by wet-etching to expose the pores on the surface, followed by sputter deposition of a Pt layer for partial masking, is crucial for the anisotropic etching of the film. Such a combined top-down and bottom up approach offers an opportunity to fabricate silica films with hierarchical pore architectures.     

Reactive ion etching of GaN and AlGaN/GaN assisted by Cl2/BCl3

This work reports on the latest results of etching of different Al _x Ga_1?x N/GaN heterostructures in relation to percentage composition of aluminum. The etching processes were carried out in a reactive ion etching (RIE) system using the mixture of BCl₃/Cl₂/Ar. The topography of the heterostructures surfaces and the slope were controlled using atomic force microsopy (AFM) technique. The photoluminescence spectra were used to determine the surface damage and to calculate the Al content in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures commonly used for high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) fabrication.     

Evaluation of reactive ion etching processes for fabrication of integrated GaAs/AlGaAs optoelectronic devices

Reactive ion etching (RIE) was used for the fabrication of GaAs/AlGaAs optoelectronic devices (laser diodes and photodetectors) for optical interconnect applications. Smooth, vertical sidewalls with a smooth surface at the field were obtained after optimizing RIE conditions in BCl₃-formed plasma. Accurate in-situ monitoring of the etching process was realized by laser interferometry end-point detection. This led to good process control and reproducibility of the demanding fabrication of the optoelectronic devices. The RIE etching process did not affect the electrical properties of the device by increasing the surface recombination currents. Lasers with etched mirrors exhibited a threshold current density of 970 A cm⁻², which is one of the best values ever reported. The feasibility of a simple technology for the fabrication of optoelectronic circuits, based on a BCl₃ RIE process for laser mirror etching, has been demonstrated.     

Dry etching of AlN films using the plasma generated by fluoride

The plasma produced by the mixture of fluoride and argon (SF₆/Ar) was applied for the dry etching of AlN films. Very high etching rate up to 140 nm/min have been observed. The effects of the bias voltage and the plasma component on the etching results were investigated. It shows that AlN can be effectively etched by the plasma with the moderate SF₆ concentration and the etching rate varies linearly with the bias voltage. The FTIR spectra confirm that AlF₃ is formed due to the chemical reaction of Al and F atoms. The mechanism of AlN etching in F-based plasma is probably a combination between physical sputtering and chemical etching and can be briefly outlined: (i) F⁻ ions reacts with Al atoms to form low volatile product AlF₃ and passivate the surface, and (ii) at the same time the Ar⁺ ions sputter the reaction product from the surface and keep it fluoride free to initiate further reaction. AlF₃ formed on the patterned sidewall play a passivation role during the etching process. The etching process is highly anisotropic with quite smooth surface and vertical sidewalls.     

Dry etching properties of TiO2 thin films in O2/CF4/Ar plasma

In this work, the etching properties of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin film in additions of O₂ at CF₄/Ar plasma were investigated. The maximum etch rate of 179.4 nm/min and selectivity of TiO₂ of 0.6 were obtained at an O₂/CF₄/Ar (=3:16:4 sccm) gas mixing ratio. In addition, the etch rate and selectivity were measured as a function of the etching parameters, such as the RF power, DC-bias voltage, and process pressure. The efficient destruction of the oxide bonds by ion bombardment, which was produced from the chemical reaction of the etched TiO₂ thin film, was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. To determine the re-deposition of sputter products and reorganization of such residues on the surface, the surface roughness of TiO₂ thin film were examined using atomic force microscopy.     

Comparative study on dry etching of polycrystalline diamond thin films

The reactive ion etching (RIE) technique was used to etch polycrystalline diamond thin films. In this study we investigate the influence of process parameters (total pressure, rf power, gas composition) of standard capacitively coupled plasma RIE system on the etching rate of diamond films. The surface morphology of etched diamond films was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy and the chemical composition of the etched film part was investigated by Raman Spectroscopy.We found that the gas composition had a crucial effect on the diamond film morphology. The use of CF₄ gas resulted in flatter surfaces and lateral-like etching, while the use of pure O₂ gas resulted in needle-like structures. Addition of argon to the reactant precursors increased the ion bombardment, which in turn increased the formation of non-diamond phases. Next, increasing the rf power from 100 to 500 W increased the etching rate from 5.4 to 8.6 μm/h. In contrast to this observation, the rise of process pressure from 80 to 150 mTorr lowered the etching rate from 5.6 down to 3.6 μm/h.     

Surface morphology and structural analysis of fluorocarbon nano-rings formation through EBL and SiO2 plasma etching

This paper reports the formation of nano-scale ring-shaped fluorocarbon macromolecules during silicon dioxide SiO₂ reactive ion etching (RIE). This nanostructure was created on a SiO₂ substrate with poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) mask during the RIE process, using trifluoromethane (CHF₃) and oxygen etchants. Variation in etching time results in the creation of square, double concentric, and flower-shaped nano-rings around SiO₂ micro-pits. In addition, increasing the etching times leads to an increase in ring width. The formation of these nano-rings is shown by a deposition of passivation layer, consisting of silicon oxide, Si_xO_y and fluorocarbon, C_xF_y, on sidewalls during SiO₂ etching in fluorocarbon plasma. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) were utilized to investigate the morphology and the structure of the nano-rings. Results show that the flower-shaped nano-rings were created on the surface of silicon for 8 min of etching time. These fluorocarbon nano-rings could be used as nano-scale templates.     

Ar + H2 plasma etching for improved adhesion of PVD coatings on steel substrates

Ar + H₂ plasma cleaning has been described for the surface modification of the steel substrates, which removes oxides and other contaminants from substrate surface effectively leading to a better adhesion of the physical vapor deposited (PVD) coatings. Approximately 1.1-1.3 μm thick TiAlN coatings were deposited on plasma treated (Ar and Ar + H₂) and untreated mild steel (MS) substrates. A mechanism has been put forward to explain the effect of plasma treatment on the substrate surface based upon the data obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The XPS measurements on untreated and Ar + H₂ plasma etched MS substrates indicated that the untreated substrate surface mainly consisted of Fe₃O₄, whereas, after etching the concentration of oxides decreased considerably. The FESEM and the AFM results showed changes in the surface morphology and an increase in the substrate roughness as a result of Ar + H₂ plasma etching. Removal of oxide/contaminants, formation of coarser surface and increased substrate surface roughness as a result of Ar + H₂ plasma etching facilitate good mechanical interlocking at the substrate surface, leading to a better adhesion of the deposited PVD coatings. The adhesion of TiAlN coating could be increased further by incorporating a very thin Ti interlayer.     

Combined AFM nano-machining and reactive ion etching to fabricate high aspect ratio structures

In this paper, a new combined method of sub-micron high aspect ratio structure fabrication is developed which can be used for production of nano imprint template. The process includes atomic force microscope (AFM) scratch nano-machining and reactive ion etching (RIE) fabrication. First, 40 nm aluminum film was deposited on the silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering, and then sub-micron grooves were fabricated on the aluminum film by nano scratch using AFM diamond tip. As aluminum film is a good mask for etching silicon, high aspect ratio structures were finally fabricated by RIE process. The fabricated structures were studied by SEM, which shows that the grooves are about 400 nm in width and 5 microm in depth. To obtain sub-micron scale groove structures on the aluminum film, experiments of nanomachining on aluminum films under various machining conditions were conducted. The depths of the grooves fabricated using different scratch loads were also studied by the AFM. The result shows that the material properties of the film/substrate are elastic-plastic following nearly a bilinear law with isotropic strain hardening. Combined AFM nanomachining and RIE process provides a relative lower cost nano fabrication technique than traditional e-beam lithography, and it has a good prospect in nano imprint template fabrication.