On the etching mechanism of ZrO2 thin films in inductively coupled BCl3/Ar plasma

The etching mechanism of ZrO₂ thin films in BCl₃/Ar plasma was investigated using a combination of experimental and modeling methods. It was found that an increase in the Ar mixing ratio causes the non-monotonic behavior of the ZrO₂ etch rate which reaches a maximum of 41.4 nm/min at about 30-35% Ar. Langmuir probe measurements and plasma modeling indicated the noticeable influence of a BCl₃/Ar mixture composition on plasma parameters and active species kinetics that results in non-linear changes of both densities and fluxes for Cl, BCl₂ and . From the model-based analysis of surface kinetics, it was shown that the non-monotonic behavior of the ZrO₂ etch rate can be associated with the concurrence of chemical and physical pathways in ion-assisted chemical reaction.     

ECR plasma etch fabrication of C-doped base InGaAs/InP DHBT structures: A comparison of CH4/H2/Ar vs BCl3/N2 plasma etch chemistries

We compare ECR plasma etch fabrication of self-aligned thin emitter carbondoped base InGaAs/InP DHBT structures using either CH₄/H₂/Ar or BCl₃/N₂ etch chemistries. Detrimental hydrogen passivation of the carbon doping in the base region of our structure during CH₄/H₂/Ar dry etching of the emitter region is observed. Initial conductivity is not recovered with annealing up to a temperature of 500°C. This passivation is not due to damage from the dry etching or from the MOMBE growth process, since DHBT structures which are ECR plasma etched in BCl₃/N₂ have the same electrical characteristics as wet etched controls. It is due to hydrogen implantation from the plasma exposure. This is supported with secondary ion mass spectroscopy profiles of structures which are etched in CH₄/D₂/Ar showing an accumulation of deuterium in the C-doped base region.     

Effect of gas mixing ratio on etch behaviors of Ba2Ti9O20 (BTO) and Pt thin films in Cl2/Ar inductively coupled plasma

An investigation of the Ba₂Ti₉O₂₀ (BTO) and Pt thin films etch mechanism in the Cl₂/Ar inductively coupled plasma was carried out. It was found that an increase in Ar mixing ratio at fixed gas pressure and input power causes a fast decrease in the BTO etch rate (26.9-1.2 nm/min for 0-100% Ar) while the Pt etch rate increases slightly from 17.4-23.0 nm/min. Langmuir probe diagnostics and zero-dimensional plasma modeling provided the data on plasma parameters, steady-state composition and fluxes of active species on the etched surface. From the model-based analysis of etch kinetics, it was shown that the behavior of the BTO etch rate corresponds to the reaction-rate-limited etch regime, where the etch rate is limited neither by physical sputtering of the main material nor by the ion-stimulated desorption of low-volatile reaction products. The etch process of Pt appears in the transitional regime and is controlled by the neutral and ion fluxes together.     

InGaAs探测器制备的ICP刻蚀方法研究

采用Cl2/BCl3/Ar感应耦合等离子体对InP/In0.55Ga0.45As/InP进行了刻蚀。讨论了不同的气体组分、ICP功率、直流自偏压下对刻蚀速率、表面粗糙度的影响。初步得到了一种稳定、刻蚀表面清洁光滑、图形轮廓良好、均匀性好和刻蚀速率较高的工艺。利用此工艺制作的8元InP/In0.55Ga0.45As/InP(PIN)探测器,峰值探测率为1.04×1012cmHz1/2W-1。     

Characterization of the CH4/H2/Ar high density plasma etching process for HgCdTe

High density plasma etching of mercury cadmium telluride using CH₄/H₂/Ar plasma chemistries is investigated. Mass spectrometry is used to identify and monitor etch products evolving from the surface during plasma etching. The identifiable primary etch products are elemental Hg, TeH₂, and Cd(CH₃)₂. Their relative concentrations are monitored as ion and neutral fluxes (both in intensity and composition), ion energy and substrate temperature are varied. General insights are made into surface chemistry mechanisms of the etch process. These insights are evaluated by examining etch anisotropy and damage to the remaining semiconductor material. Regions of process parameter space best suited to moderate rate, anisotropic, low damage etching of HgCdTe are identified.     

Comparison of ECR plasma chemistries for etching of InGaP and AlGaP

Etch rates for InGaP and AlGaP are examined under electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) conditions in Cl₂/Ar, BCl₃/Ar, BCl₃/N₂, ICl/Ar, and IBr/Ar discharges. All the plasmas except IBr/Ar provide rapid etching of InGaP at rates above 1 μm min⁻¹. ICl/Ar provides the highest etch rates. Unlike the Cl₂/Ar and BCl₃-based chemistries, the rates in ICl/Ar and IBr/Ar are almost independent of microwave power in the range 400–1000 W. Much lower rates were obtained for AlGaP in every discharge due to the greater difficulties in bond breaking that must precede formation and desorption of the etch products.     

Characterization of the CH4/H2/Ar high density plasma etching process for ZnSe

High density plasma etching of zinc selenide using CH₄/H₂/Ar plasma chemistries is investigated. Mass spectrometry, using through-the-platen sampling, is used to identify and monitor etch products evolving from the surface during etching. The identifiable primary etch products are Zn, Se, ZnH₂, SeH₂, Zn(CH₃)₂, and Se(CH₃)₂. Their concentrations are monitored as ion and neutral fluxes (both in intensity and composition), ion energy, and substrate temperature are varied. General insights about the surface chemistry mechanisms of the etch process are given from these observations. Regions of process parameter space best suited for moderate rate, anisotropic, and low damage etching of ZnSe are proposed. Code 6752 Code 6174     

Comparison of dry etching of III-V semiconductors in ICl/Ar and IBr/Ar electron cyclotron resonance plasmas

ICl/Ar and IBr/Ar plasmas were found to be promising candidates for room temperature dry etching processing of the III-V semiconductors GaAs, AlGaAs, GaSb, InP, InGaAs, and InSb. Results showed fast etch rates (0.7 μm/min in ICl/Ar and −0.3 μm/min in IBr/Ar), and at high microwave power, 1000 W, good surface morphology (typical root mean square roughness ∼2 nm), while retaining the near-surface stoichiometry, especially in IBr/Ar plasmas. There was little change of surface smoothness over a wide range of plasma compositions for Gacontaining materials in both ICl/Ar and IBr/Ar plasmas, (e.g. GaAs), while there was a window region with about 25–50% of IBr in IBr/Ar plasmas to maintain good morphology of In-containing semiconductors like InP. Selectivities of 4–10 over mask materials such as SiO₂, SiN_x, and W were typical in ICl/Ar plasmas.     

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InGaP, AllnP, and AlGaP in Cl2 and BCl3 chemistries

Dry etching of InGaP, AlInP, and AlGaP in inductively coupled plasmas (ICP) is reported as a function of plasma chemistry (BCl₃ or Cl₂, with additives of Ar, N₂, or H₂), source power, radio frequency chuck power, and pressure. Smooth anisotropic pattern transfer at peak etch rates of 1000–2000Å·min^?1 is obtained at low DC self-biases (?100V dc) and pressures (2 mTorr). The etch mechanism is characterized by a trade-off between supplying sufficient active chloride species to the surface to produce a strong chemical enhancement of the etch rate, and the efficient removal of the chlorinated etch products before a thick selvedge layer is formed. Cl₂ produces smooth surfaces over a wider range of conditions than does BCl₃.     

新型相变材料Al1.3Sb3Te使用CF4/Ar等离子体干法刻蚀

对使用CF4/Ar 混合气体刻蚀Al1.3Sb3Te的特性进行了研究。实验控制的参数是：气体流入刻蚀腔的速率,CF4/Ar 比例,O2的加入量,腔内压强以及加在底电极上的入射射频功率。总的气体流量是50sccm ,研究刻蚀速率与CF4/Ar的比例,O2加入量,腔内压强和入射射频功率的关系。最后刻蚀参数被优化。 使用优化的刻蚀参数CF4的浓度4%,功率300W,压强800mTorr,刻蚀速率达到70.8nm/min,刻蚀表面平整     

Etching characteristics of ZnO thin films in chlorine-containing inductively coupled plasmas

This study examined the plasma etching characteristics of ZnO thin films etched in BCl₃/Ar, BCl₃/Cl₂/Ar and Cl₂/Ar plasmas with a positive photoresist mask. The ZnO etch rates were increased in a limited way by increasing the gas flow ratio of the main etch gases in the BCl₃/Ar, BCl₃/Cl₂/Ar and Cl₂/Ar plasmas at a fixed dc self-bias voltage (V_dc). However, the ZnO etch rate was increased more effectively by increasing the V_dc. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of the ZnO surfaces etched at various Cl₂/(Cl₂ + Ar) mixing ratios revealed the formation of the ZnO_xCl_y reaction by-products as a result of the increased etch rate with increasing Cl₂ addition, compared with 100% Ar⁺ sputter etching. This suggests that at Cl₂/Ar flow ratios ⩾20%, the ZnO etch process is controlled by an ion-assisted removal mechanism where the etch rate is governed by the ion-bombardment energy under the saturated chlorination conditions.     

Effect of dry etching on surface properties of III-nitrides

Dry etched InAlN and GaN surfaces have been characterized by current-voltage measurement, Auger electron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Electron cyclotron resonance discharges of BCl₃. BCl₃/Ar, BCl₃/N₂, or BCl₃/N₂ plus wet chemical etch all produce nitrogen surfaces that promote leakage current in rectifying gate contacts, with the BCl₃/N₂ plus wet chemical etch producing the least disruption on the surface properties. The conductivity of the immediate InAlN or GaN surface can be increased by preferential loss of N during BCl₃ plasma etching, leading to poor rectifying contact characteristics when the gate metal is deposited on this etched surface. Careful control of plasma chemistry, ion energy, and stoichiometry of the etched surface are necessary for acceptable pinch-off characteristics. Hydrogen passivation during the etch was also studied.     

Cl2/BCl3感应耦合等离子体GaN刻蚀侧壁形貌研究

基于感应耦合等离子体干法刻蚀技术,对采用Cl2/BCl3气体组分下GaN刻蚀后的侧壁形貌进行了研究。扫描电镜(SEM)结果表明,一定刻蚀条件下,刻蚀后GaN侧壁会形成转角与条纹状褶皱形貌。进一步实验,观察到了GaN侧壁转角形貌的形成过程;低偏压功率实验表明,高能离子轰击是GaN侧壁转角与条纹状褶皱形貌形成的原因。刻蚀过程中,掩蔽层光刻胶经过高能离子一段时间轰击后,其边缘首先出现条纹状褶皱形貌,并转移到GaN侧壁上,接着转角形貌亦随之出现并转移到GaN侧壁上。这与已公开发表文献认为的GaN侧壁条纹状褶皱仅由于掩蔽层边缘粗糙所引起而非刻蚀过程中形成的解释不同。     

Etching of As- and P-based III–V semiconductors in a planar inductively coupled BCl<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Ar plasma

A parametric study of the etch characteristics of Ga-based (GaAs, GaSb, and AlGaAs) and In-based (InGaP, InP, InAs, and InGaAsP) compound semiconductors in BCl₃/Ar planar inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) was performed. The Ga-based materials etched at significantly higher rates, as expected from the higher volatilities of the As, Ga, and Al trichloride, etch products relative to InCl₃. The ratio of BCl₃ to Ar proved critical in determining the anisotropy of the etching for GaAs and AlGaAs, through its effect on sidewall passivation. The etched features in In-based materials tended to have sloped sidewalls and much rougher surfaces than for GaAs and AlGaAs. The etched surfaces of both AlGaAs and GaAs have comparable root-mean-square (RMS) roughness and similar stoichiometry to their unetched control samples, while the surfaces of In-based materials are degraded by the etching. The practical effect of the Ar addition is found to be the ability to operate the ICP source over a broader range of pressures and to still maintain acceptable etch rates.     

Etching characteristics and mechanisms of the MgO thin films in the CF4/Ar inductively coupled plasma

The etching characteristics and mechanisms of MgO thin films in CF₄/Ar inductively coupled plasma were investigated. It was found that the changes in gas mixing ratio as well as in gas pressure result in a non-monotonic behavior of the MgO etch rate. Plasma diagnostics by Langmuir probe indicated the noticeable sensitivity of both electron temperature and density to the variations of the processing parameters. The combination of 0-dimensional plasma model with the model of surface kinetics showed that the reason of the non-monotonic etch rate is connected with the concurrence of physical and chemical pathways in ion-assisted chemical reaction.     

Etch damage evaluation on (Bi4−xLax)Ti3O12 thin films during the etch process using inductively coupled plasma sources

The etching mechanism of (Bi_4−xLa_x)Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) thin films in Ar/Cl₂ inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and plasma-induced damages at the etched surfaces were investigated as a function of gas-mixing ratios. The maximum etch rate of BLT thin films was 50.8 nm/min of 80% Ar/20% Cl₂. From various experimental data, amorphous phases on the etched surface existed on both chemically and physically etched films, but the amorphous phase was thicker after the 80% Ar/20% Cl₂ process. Moreover, crystalline “breaking” appeared during the etching in Cl₂-containing plasma. Also the remnant polarization and fatigue resistances decreased more for the 80% Ar/20% Cl₂ etch than for pure Ar plasma etch.     

Influence of the additives argon, O2, C4F8, H2, N2 and CO on plasma conditions and process results during the etch of SiCOH in CF4 plasma

Reactive ion etch processes for modern interlevel dielectrics become more and more complex, especially for further scaling of interconnect dimensions. The materials will be damaged within such processes with the result of an increase in their dielectric constants. The capability of selected additives to minimize the low-k sidewall damage during reactive ion etching (RIE) of SiCOH materials in fluorocarbon plasmas was shown in different works in the past. Most of the investigated additive gases alter the fluorine to carbon ratio as well as the dissociation of the parent gas inside the etch plasma. The result is a changed etch rate, a modified polymerization behavior and other characteristics of the process induced SiCOH damage. Heavy inert ions like argon will be accelerated to the sample surface in the cathode dark space and enhance therewith the sputter yield on the SiCOH network [1]. In this paper the additives Ar, O₂, C₄F₈, H₂, N₂ and CO were added to a conventional CF₄ etch plasma. We try to provoke different changes in the plasma conditions and therewith in the process results. Contact angle measurements, spectroscopic ellipsometry, Hg-probe analysis, FTIR measurements and SEM cross-sections were used to overview the additive induced modifications. To understand the influences of the additives gases more exactly, changes in the physical and chemical plasma behavior must be analyzed. Therefore quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) and quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) were used.     

The fabrication and dry etching of poly-Si/TaN/Mo gate stack in the metal inserted poly-Si stack structure

The Mo-based metal inserted poly-Si stack (MIPS) structure is an appropriate choice for metal gate and high-k integration in sub-45 nm gate-first CMOS device. A novel metal nitride layer of TaN or AlN with high thermal stability has been introduced between Mo and poly-Si as a barrier material to avoid any reaction of Mo during poly-Si deposition. After Mo-based MIPS structure is successfully prepared, dry etching of poly-Si/TaN/Mo gate stack is studied in detail. The three-step plasma etching using the Cl₂/HBr chemistry without soft landing step has been developed to attain a vertical poly-Si profile and a reliable etch-stop on the TaN/Mo metal gate. For the etching of TaN/Mo gate stack, two methods using BCl₃/Cl₂/O₂/Ar plasma are presented to get both vertical profile and smooth etched surface, and they are critical to get high selectivity to high-k dielectric and Si substrate. In addition, adding a little SF₆ to the BCl₃/O₂/Ar plasma under the optimized conditions is also found to be effective to smoothly etch the TaN/Mo gate stack with vertical profile.     

ICP刻蚀对光刻胶掩模及刻蚀图形侧壁的影响

采用AZ1500光刻胶作为掩模对GaAs和InP进行ICP刻蚀,研究了刻蚀参数对光刻胶掩模及刻蚀图形侧壁的影响。结果表明,光刻胶的碳化变性与等离子体的轰击相关,压强、ICP功率和RF功率的增加以及Cl2比例的减小都会加速光刻胶的碳化变性,Cl2/Ar比Cl2/BCl3更易使光刻胶发生变性。对于GaAs样品刻蚀,刻蚀气体中Cl2含量越高,刻蚀图形侧壁的横向刻蚀越严重。Cl2/BCl3对GaAs的刻蚀速率比Cl2/Ar慢,但刻蚀后样品的表面粗糙度比Cl2/Ar小。刻蚀InP时的刻蚀速率比GaAs样品慢,且存在图形侧壁倾斜现象。该工作有助于推动在器件制备工艺中以光刻胶作为掩模进行ICP刻蚀,从而提高器件制备效率。     

Dry etch selectivity of Gd2O3 to GaN and AlN

Gd₂O₃ is a promising gate dielectric for GaN, but little is known of its dry etching characteristics. We achieved Gd₂O₃ etch rates up to ～600 Å · min^?1 in high density Cl2-based discharges, with maximum selectivities of ～15 over GaN and ～4 over AlN. Pure Cl₂ discharges produced reverse selectivities for both Gd₂O₃/GaN and Gd₂O₃/AlN, with typical values between 0.1–0.4. When a rare gas additive such as Ar or Xe was added to the plasma chemistry, the nitrides etched faster than the oxide. This indicates that volatile etch products (GaCl₃, AlCl₃, N₂) form in Cl₂-based plasmas once the GaN or AlN bonds are broken by ion bombardment, but that GdCl_x species are not volatile. In conjunction with the low efficiency for Gd₂O₃ bond-breaking at low ion energies, this leads to low selectivity.