Etching 2014

PART III: ETCHING TECHNOLOGY
1. PLASMA ETCHING FUNDAMENTALS

- PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS
- ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES
- ETCHING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS
2. ISSUES OF ETCHING FOR NANO-PROCESSING

- PLASMA ETCHING MODELS
- CHAGE UP DAMAGE
- MICROLOADING
SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)
PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS
Difference
between
Plasma
Etching
and Wet
Etching
Four
Different
Plasma
Etching
Mechanisms
Sputtering:
- Positive ions are accelerated across
the sheath with high kinetic energy.
- Directional but has low selectivity.
Chemical etching:
- Active species from the gas phase
encounter the surface and react to
form volatile product.
- Non-volatile reaction product would
remain on the surface and impede
further etching.
- Non-directional but can have high
selectivity.
Ion-enhanced directional etching:

- Where neutral species cause little etching,
ion bombardment can make the substrate
more reactive, the effects of radicals and
ions can be synergistic to enhance etching
rate.
- Ions accelerated across the plasma sheath
edge strike the surface vertically with
kinetic energy, causing directional etching.
Inhibitor-driven ion-assisted etching:

- Etching by neutral radicals is spontaneous
so ion bombardment does not cause

etching reaction.
- Ions sputter off substrate materials to form
inhibitor-films on the sidewall, resulting in
anisotropic etching.
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES
Plasma parameters
- RF power
(source power, bias
power)
- Frequency of power
- Pressure
- Gas combination
- Gas flow rate
- Temperature
Etching
properties
Plasma properties
(Collision)
- Energy of particles (Te, Ti)
- Particle density (n, n*, np)
- Ionization and dissociation
ratios
- Ion energy (Ei)
- Electron energy distribution
-Etching rate
-Uniformity
- Selectivity
-Anisotropy
-Loading (microloading)
- Plasma induced damage

Electron-Atom Collisions
Elastic scattering:
Ionization:
Excitation:
e + Ar e + Ar
e + Ar 2e + Ar+
e + Ar e + Ar*
Ion-Atom Collisions
Elastic collision:
Ar+ + Ar Ar+ + Ar
Resonant charge exchange:
Ar+ + Ar Ar + Ar+
Non-resonant charge exchange: B+ + C B + C+
Radiative relaxation:
Ar* Ar + photon (Used for OES)
Recombination:
e + Ar+ Ar
e + Ar+ + Ar Ar + Ar
e + Ar+ + wall Ar + wall
***
***
Q) Why are the last two reactions are dominant in the plasma, rather
than direct recombination ?
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE EFFECTS)
Pressure affects the

following properties
(1) Sheath potential and ion
energy bombarding the surface
(2) Electron temperature and
electron energy distribution
(3) Ionization ratio and collision
frequency
(4) Flux of ions and radical
species to the surface
(5) Surface coverage and
chemical reaction rate
(6) Mass transport rate
(* Pressure range in processing
plasma: 1mTorr to 10Torr)
Ion energy
Physical
sputtering
Ion-assisted
etching
Chemical
etching
Pressure
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE EFFECT)
- Electron energy and ionization rate tend to decrease with

increasing pressure, and this results in less efficiency to
regenerate the charge lost by diffusion and recombination.
- However, electron density (plasma density) does not change
very much due to the compensating effect between the larger
number of neutral reactants and lower ionization rate at higher
pressure.
- That is, plasma density (1010 1011 cm-3) tends to be
insensitive to the pressure change in the low pressure
processing plasmas in the range of 1mTorr 1 Torr.
- In general, the neutral gas temperature tends to increase
with pressure whereas the electron temperature deceases.
This is due to the thermalization of electrons (energy transfer
from electrons to neutrals).
10
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE EFFECT)
- The ratio of neutrals to ions is higher at high pressure

(surface flux of neutrals is much larger). In high pressures,
etching is mainly performed chemically. Isotropic etching
profile and undercutting are common phenomena
observed in the chemical etching.
- The rate of chemical etching tends to be proportional to
the concentration of neutral etchant species (first order
reaction rate), whereas the rate of ion-enhanced etching
tends to be independent of the concentration of neutral
etchant species (zero order reaction rate).
- Lower pressure brings about the increase of sheath
voltage and ion bombardment energy.
11
PRESSURE EFFECT IN CHEMICAL KINETICS
In the case of elementary reactions:

A + B = products.
In this case, reaction rate can be expressed as:
(product formation)/(time) = k(T) nAnB (ni =xip)
Effects of wall on pressure dependence
Many cases, heterogeneous reaction on the wall is
more efficient, since it can frequently be first order
reaction:
A + B + wall = AB + wall.
In this case, reaction rate can be expressed as:
(product formation)/(time) = k(T) nAAw
12
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE)
Overall reaction
Effective
Pressure
Dependence
F + Sisurf = SiF
CF3 + F = CF4
p2
CF2 + F2 = CF3 + F
p2
CF2 + CF2 = C2F4
p2
3CF2 = C3F6
p3
13
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FLOW RATE)
Flow rate effect (low flow rate regime)

Etch flux of Si atoms
Utilization factor
Input flux of CF4 molecules
5 x1014 Re As
5 Re As
Si
1
.
87
x
10
and
19
Q
2.68 x10 Q
SiO2
2.2 x1014 Re As
6 Re As
8.21x10
19
Q
2.68 x10 Q
: For Si
: For SiO2
where Re = etch rate (/min), As = substrate area, Q = flow rate (sccm).

Q) In the CF4/O2 plasma where the single 8-inch silicon wafer has an
opening ratio of 50% and its etching rate is 3000A/min with CF4
gas flow of 25sccm,
1) Estimate utilization factor of CF4 molecules for Si etching (0.36)
2) Estimate a maximum possible etching rate (8300A/min)
14
Overall flow rate effect

- When pumping speed or flow rate exceeds to a certain point, residence
time of reactive gases becomes too short to etch the substrate.
- Short residence time can lower the utilization factor. This can be
minimized by increasing RF power to increase the generation rate of
reactive species
- Overall etching rate will be determined by lack of reactant gases at the
low flow rate regime and by insufficient residence time of reactant gases
at the high flow rate regime.
100% utilization line
Etch
rate
Limited by Residence time
Overall etching rate
Gas flow rate
15
If utilization factor is high, reaction products can affect gas

composition of the etching plasma. This is often observed in the
low flow regime. The following figures show consumption of the
etching gas under the condition with high utilization factor.
Q) Explain the effect of increasing the power in both graphs?

16
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FREQUENCY)

Areas that RF frequency can influence to plasma and etching properties
(1) Spatial distribution of species and electrical fields across the discharge
(2) Energy distribution of species (whether it is constant or oscillating with
time)
(3) Minimum voltage required to start and operate a plasma and the
energy with which ions bombard the surface
(4) Electron energy distribution function (EEDF)
- If wt << 1, the process can respond to instantaneous

condition induced by the time varying field.
-If wt >> 1, the process is too slow to respond and it reaches
a static state in equilibrium with the time average conditions.
(w is input power frequency and t is relaxation time)
17
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FREQUENCY)

Process
Approx. Frequency
[d(2logn)/dt]-1
Rate Expression
(dn/dt)
Parameters
Assumed
Atom-Atom
Recombination
(Homogeneous)
0.3Hz
Kra[Cl]2N
Kra = 3.4710-32cm-6sec-1
[Cl] ~ 51015cm-3
Atom-Atom
Recombination
(Heterogeneous)
100Hz
2D[Cl] / L2
D = 250cm2sec-1
L = 2cm
[Cl] ~ 51015cm-3
Ion-Ion
Recombination
250Hz
Kri n+ n-
Kri = 510-8cm3sec-1
n+ n- = 31010cm-3
Electron-Ion
Recombination
500Hz
Kei ni ne
Kei 10-7 cm3sec-1
Ambipolar
Diffusion
800Hz
(2Da / L2)ne
L = 2cm
Da ~ 2103cm 2sec-1
Free
Diffusion
50KHz (1eV)
2MHz (3ev)
(2/L2)(v/3)ne
L = 2cm
Ion-Sheath
Transit
Litf ~ 200KHz
Uitf ~ 6MHz
/v+, ave
0.3Torr
Charge Exchange
160KHz 1.6MHz
Kex ni N
Kex = 10-10 10-9

N = 1016cm-3
Attachment
2.5MHz (0.08eV)
Ka ne N
Ka = 1.510-9cm3sec-1
N = 1016cm-3
Ka = 310-10cm3sec-1
N = 1016cm-3
500KHz (3eV)
Electron Energy
Modulation
10MHz
Vu(Vu N)
experimental
Momentum Collision
Frequency
160MHz
V (VN)
V = 109
Plasma Frequency
1.55GHz
Wp = (neoe2/moeo)1/2
ne = 31010
18
FREQUENCY EFFECT: ION TRANSIT FREQUENCY (ITF)

1) When excitation frequency is significantly higher than the ion transit
frequency,
ions are accelerated toward the electrode during negative half cycle, and the
fastest ions with transit times lasting over many cycles are accelerated by
the sheath electric field, E(x,t), to an energy,
eV max
HF
nT
T /2
eE ( x , t ) dxdt
Since the excitation voltage is, Vo sin wt, is applied to the sheath,
E ( x, t )dx V0 sin t
During half cycle, eVmax
HF
V
e 0
2
sin t dt
2V0
2) When excitation frequency is significantly lower than the ion transit

frequency,
LF
Vmax
V0
19
FREQUENCY EFFECT: ELECTRON ENERGY OSCILLATION

-
While electrons in a discharge

lose only a small energy during
collisions with neutrals, gas
molecules translate energy to
surroundings. Therefore electron
temperatures are much higher
than gas temperature.
The diagram shows electron

energy as a function of excitation
time for different ratios of electron
energy loss frequency (nu) vs
excitation frequency (w).
1) When nu << w
2) When nu >> w
20
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (TEMPERATURE)

We should be able to differentiate the gas temperature from the surface
temperature. The gas temperature is not easily controllable because it
depends on power input and heat transfer.
Instead, the surface temperature is more practically used, because in the
processing plasmas the thermal boundary layer (the distance in which the
gas temperature is maintained close to the wall temperature due to heat
transfer) is much thicker than the mean free path.
The etching properties affected by the temperature can be chemical
reaction rates, selectivity, surface morphology, and degradation of photoresist.
When the etching rates are controlled by the reaction which is a function
of the temperature, it can be represented as Arrhenius Equation in the form
of
Re A exp( Ea / kT )
21
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (TEMPERATURE)

Q) From the below Arrhenius plot
of Si and SiO2 etching reactions
in a fluorine containing plasma,
(a) Estimate activation energy
for overall etching reactions of Si
and SiO2
(b)
Find complete Arrhenius
equations, and
(c) Plot the etching selectivity
between Si and SiO2 as a
function of the temperature
Re A exp( Ea / kT )
22
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (TEMPERATURE AND VOLATILITY)
Q) Based on
these results,
explain why
fluorine-based
gases are
preferred to
chlorine-based
gases for Si
etching?
23
ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (WALL EFFECT)
24

Plasma properties (Collision)
Plasma parameters
- RF power
(source power, bias
power)
- Frequency of power
- Pressure
- Gas combination
- Gas flow rate
- Temperature
- Energy of particles (Te, Ti)

- Particle density (n, n*, np)
- Ionization and dissociation ratios
- Ion energy (Ei)
- Electron energy distribution
-Etching rate
-Uniformity
- Selectivity
-Anisotropy
-Loading (microloading)
- Plasma induced damage
Etching properties
25
ETCHING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS

Etching process is normally characterized by etching rate, selectivity,
uniformity, and surface quality.
- Etch rate: High etch rate results in high throughput.
- Anisotropy: Most cases of IC manufacturing, vertical and
anisotropic profiles are required. Some cases, sloped profile is
necessary to guarantee adequate step coverage during subsequent
deposition.
- Surface quality: Undesirable combination of substrates and gases
can result in pitting or unwanted surface residue that can degrade
smoothness of surface. This problem becomes more severe as
device size becomes smaller and new materials are introduced for
advanced devices.
26
ETCHING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS
Etch rate (Re)

- Overetch ratio =
(Additional etch time /
target etch time) x 100%
- Uniformity =
[(Rmax Rmin) / (2Rave)] x 100%
- Anisotropy = 1- Rh/Rv
- Selectivity = Rf/Rs
27
SELECTIVITY REQUIREMENT
Selectivity Analysis:
Selectivity is the etching rate ratio between two neighboring materials such as a)
film versus mask and b) film versus underlying layer.
Mask
D/2
Poly-Si gate
SiO2 thin oxide

Si-substrate
28
SELECTIVITY REQUIREMENT
-The vertical resist profile with
the angle of 90 degrees is
commonly obtained in the IC
processes, from the advanced
lithography machines using
193nm-365nm wavelengths.
-However, it can be lowered by
baking
processes
before
etching to 70-80 degrees.
- Substrate-to-mask selectivity
requirements
become
less
stringent with more anisotropic
etching and a vertical maskedge profile.
29
SELECTIVITY REQUIREMENT (TRADE-OFF WITH UNIFORMITY)

The figure shows process uniformity
as a function of the selectivity for
etching poly-silicon on the underlying
400A gate oxide. The cross-hatched
damage region indicates the
unacceptable region in which more
than 100A oxide is removed. With
improved
uniformity,
process
selectivity requirement can be
relaxed. The numbers in the map
shows the amounts of oxide removed.
The results show that, the higher the
poly-silicon to oxide selectivity, the
less the gate oxide removed. Also, if
the process uniformity is poor, higher
selectivity is necessary to ensure the
remaining oxide thicker than the
minimum requirement.
Poly-Si gate
SiO2 thin oxide

Si-substrate
30
SELECTIVITY ANALYSIS DURING ETCHING

Selectivity is the etching rate ratio between two neighboring materials
such as a) substrate versus mask and b) film versus underlying layer
(a) In practical etching applications, there always exist non-uniformities in the film
thickness and in the etching rate across the wafer.
We can define the uniformity of
film thickness , the uniformity of film thickness , and etch rate of the film Rf. When
the etching is carried out, we can define the time to take for all the films to be cleared,
tc. Considering other factors to affect device properties, the total etching time, ttot,
usually include some over-etching,
(b) Since the etching selectivity is required to prevent the under-layer from being
attacked (For example, think of the conventional gate structure where the thin gate
oxide is between the poly-silicon gate conductor and the Si substrate.), the time to
take to expose the substrate first, tmin, needs to be considered
(c) If the maximum allowable consumption of thin underlayer, ys
max,
was already
determined, it can be expressed as a function of its etching rate Rs,ave. In this way,
minimum selectivity requirement of film to substrate, Sf/s,min, is determined
31
ETCHING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS (SELECTIVITY)
- Due to non-uniformity in
thicknesses and etch rates
across the wafer
Poly-Si gate
SiO2 thin oxide

Si-substrate
t tot t c (1 )
ys , max
y f ,ave (1 )(1 )
R f ,ave (1 )
t min
y f , ave (1 )
R f , ave (1 )
y f ,ave (1 )(1 ) (1 )
Rs ,ave (ttot t min ) Rs
R f ,ave (1 )
(1 )
S f / s , min R f ,ave / Rs ,ave
y f ,ave (1 )(1 ) (1 )
y s ,max (1 )
(1 )
32
ETCHING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS (SELECTIVITY)

Q1) Using the given equation, estimate minimum etching selectivity for polysilicon to gate oxide in the following gate structure and processing condition, and
also estimate the etch rate of gate oxide.
a) average thickness of poly-silicon gate is 2000A
b) thickness uniformity of poly-silicon gate is 5%
c) average etch rate of poly-silicon is 4000A/min
d) etch rate uniformity of poly-silicon gate is 7%
e) over-etching toward the gate oxide is 100%, and
f) allowable oxide consumption is 50A
S f / s ,min R f ,ave / Rs ,ave
y f ,ave (1 )(1 ) (1 )
y s ,max (1 )
(1 )
(Ans: Selectivity is 55 and etch rate is 73A/min)

Q2) Compare the results of Q1 with the results of in the following cases.
a) average thickness of poly-silicon gate changes to 1000A
b) average etch rate of poly-silicon changes to 3000A/min
c) over-etching toward the gate oxide changes to 50%
d) allowable oxide consumption changes to 30A
33
SELECTIVITY REQUIREMENTS IN GATE STACK ETCHING
Selectivity
(PR/Metal)
Photoresist
Metal
electrode
Selectivity
(Metal/Channel)
Selectivity
(Channel/SiO2)
Channel
SiO2
Si wafer
34
ETCHING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS (LOADING)
Where etching rate is controlled by the transport of etchant gases.

ie, the amount of available gases on the wafer surface, the etching
rate decreases as the open area on the wafer surface increases.
This is known as Loading Effect.
35
ETCHING TECHNOLOGY
1. PLASMA ETCHING FUNDAMENTALS
- PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS
- ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES
- ETCHING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS
2. ISSUES OF ETCHING FOR NANO-PROCESSING

- PLASMA ETCHING MODELS
- CHAGE UP DAMAGE
- MICROLOADING
36
PLASMA ETCHING MODELS
Various steps of ion-assisted etching of silicon in chlorine

plasmas are illustrated as follows:
A. Ionization:
e + Cl, Cl2 Cl+, Cl2+ + 2e
B. Dissociation:
e + Cl2 2Cl + 2e
C. Adsorption:
Cl, Cl2 Sisurf-nCl
D. Product formation:
Si-nCl SiClx (adsorbed)
E. Product desorption:
SiClx (adsorbed) SiClx (gas)
37
PLASMA ETCHING MODELS (F/C)
Si + CF4 = SiF4 + C
F/C ratio = ?
SiO2 + CF4 = SiF4 + CO2
- F for etching and C for polymerization
H + F = HF
C + O2 = CO or CO2
Q) Is CF4 reactive ?
38
(1) Increasing the F/C ratio increases Si etching rates and

decreasing the F/C ratio lowers them. The etching rates of
SiO2, Si3N4, Ti, and W are affected similarly by the F/C ratio.
(2) F/C ratio of CF4 gas is four. As the etching of Si is carried
out and the etch products SiF4 are generated, and F/C ratio
decreases.
(3) Addition of H2 to CF4 forms HF, thereby the F/C ratio and
the etching rate are reduced. This effect is also observed
for CHF3 and C3F8 where the F/C ratio is lower than 4.
(4) Addition of O2 can increase the F/C ratio, because oxygen
tends to consume more carbon than fluorine by forming
CO or CO2.
39

The high selectivity of etching rates
of SiO2 versus Si in CF4+H2 plasmas
can be explained by the F/C model
- Although the F/C ratio is less than 4
due to the formation of HF, SiO2 can
compensate for the decreased F/C
ratio since it generates oxygen
Mask
SiO2
- Etching rates of SiO2 do

decrease significantly with
addition of H2
not
the
- Etching rate of Si is decreased

significantly as the F/C ratio is
lowered with the addition of H2
Si-substrate
40
- The F/C ratio can also be

used to differentiate the
process regimes between
etching and polymerization.
- In reactive ion etching, the
self-bias voltage enhances
ion bombardment at the
surface and thereby
promotes the removal of
nonvolatile etch products.
- This enlarges the possible
etching process regime
towards lower F/C ratios.
41
PLASMA ETCHING MODELS (ETCHANT-UNSATURATE MODEL)
(1) Halocarbons and their mixtures with oxidants are widely used
for plasma etching applications. Unsaturated halocarbon
radicals generated from the gas usually become sidewall
inhibitors for anisotropic etching.
(2) In the halocarbon plasmas, balance between unsaturated
species and etchant/oxidant atoms is required. Etchantunsaturate model can be a guide in predicting the effects of
the plasma composition.
(3) Unsaturated fluoro- and chloro-carbon polymers that are
generated in the plasmas can be saturated during reactions
with atoms and reactive molecules. The most reactive species
are preferentially removed by the saturation reactions.
- Continued
42
(4) Relative reactivity of atoms and molecules in the saturation

reactions are F~O > Cl > Br and F2 > Cl2 > Br2. This order is used
to predict the predominant etching species and reaction
products for given gas compositions.
O, O2 + CxF2x COF2, CO, CO2 + F, F2
O, O2 + CxF2x-yCly COF2, COFCl, CO, CO2 + F, F2, Cl, Cl2
(5) When atoms can react with the substrate to form volatile
products, etching can occur. When excessive unsaturates
adsorb on the surface, films are formed via polymerization. The
unsaturates also form sidewall films, resulting in anisotropic
etching with the help of ion bombardment.
(6) Addition of oxidants to the plasmas changes the concentration
of halogen atoms and unsaturates. As the oxidants consume
unsaturates, the relative concentration of less reactive halogen
atoms increases.
43
O, O2 + CxF2x COF2, CO, CO2 + F, F2

O, O2 + CxF2x-yCly COF2, COFCl, CO, CO2 + F, F2, Cl, Cl2
44
GAS ADDITIVES IN ETCHING
45
NOTCH FORMATION: PROFILE CONTROL OF POLY-SI ETCHING
Charge-up Model of Poly-Si Gate

-Sidewall facing the open area is irradiated by electrons, and therefore the potential of
the edge line is lower than that of the other inner lines in the normal array structure.
However, the recombination between ions and electrons occurs at the inner sidewall of
the edge line pattern. This induces the notching at the edge lines.
-Extent of notching is dependant on the electron flux to the side wall facing the open
area, electron temperature and ion current density towards the wafer surface.
46
PLASMA INDUCED DAMAGE

Devices can be damaged by plasma-generated charges trapped in thin gate
oxides, and can show leaky behavior of thin gate oxides and notching in the
poly-silicon gates. Also this causes non-uniform breakdown of gate oxides
and non-uniform conductivity of gates.
Plasma (or topography) non-uniformity
Electron Shading
47
PLASMA INDUCED DAMAGE (CHARGE-UP)

Positive ions, accelerated by the electric field of the plasma sheath region,
bombard the wafer surface perpendicularly. Electrons, repelled by the
electric field of the plasma sheath region, reach the surface with large
angular distribution.
Electrons are easily trapped at the sidewall of small patterns (usually
< 0.2mm) causing excess positive ions at the bottom of high aspect ratio
patterns. Hence, notching occurs at the bottom of poly-Si gate structures.
48
PHOTO-RESIST STRIPPING (ASHING)

A. Oxygen radicals generated in oxygen plasmas can attack organic photoresist materials to break polymer chains and form volatile products CO,
CO2, and H2O.
B. Stripping rates of photo-resist increase with the increase of the oxygen
concentration and temperature. Processing temperature is above the
glass transition temperature, Tg.
C. Exposure of device structures to the plasma during photo-resist
stripping can cause electrical damage and charging to the devices.
Downstream plasma systems are widely used to avoid these problems.
49
MICROLOADING
MICROSCOPIC UNIFORMITY IN ETCHING
50
MICROLOADING
MICROSCOPIC UNIFORMITY IN ETCHING
- It is differently named as
RIE-lag,
micro-loading,
aspect-ratio dependent etching (ARDE), and
pattern dependent etching.
- Defined as a phenomenon where the etching rates in the
small patterns are either lower or higher than the etching
rates in the open area, it can be understood as a
phenomenon where the etching rates change as etching is
carried out and thereby the aspect ratio of structures
becomes higher.
51
MICROSCOPIC NON-UNIFORMITY IN ETCHING (MICROLOADING)

Consider a situation where significant
polymeric species are generated in the plasma
and utilized for anisotropic, selective etching.
For example, consider the etching of SiO2 with
Si as an underlayer in the CHF3 plasmas where
the etching selectivity is determined by polymer
deposition and etching of these materials.
Vi Ei J i
Re
1 Vi Ei J i / Vn S0 J n
According to the equation, the relative deposition and etching rates are also
dependent on the flux ratio of ions over neutrals.
For device structures of the high aspect ratio, the relative flux ratio between
ions and neutrals is high due to the directionality of the ions. Thus, the
etching dominates the polymer deposition but the selectivity is low.
In the open area, relative flux ratio of ions over neutrals is lower compared
to that of the high aspect ratio structures. Here the deposition dominates the
etching, but the selectivity can be high.
52
Ion-Neutral Synergy Effects In Etching

Etching rate from the point of ions
Re Vi E i J i
Etching rate from the point of neutrals
Re Vn S 0 (1 ) J n
Combining both,
Vi Ei J i
Re
1 Vi Ei J i / Vn S 0 J n
where Vi is the volume removed per unit bombardment energy (cm3/eV)

for the saturated surface, is the surface coverage of the chemically
assisting neutral species, Ei is the average ion energy (eV), and Ji is the
ion flux (cm-2 sec-1) to the surface. Vn is the volume removed per reacting
neutral (cm3), S0 is the sticking coefficient on the bare surface, and Jn is
the neutral flux (cm-2 sec-1) to the surface.
53
Re
Vi E i J i
1 Vi E i J i / V n S 0 J n
Ion-neutral synergistic effects can be

understood by the equation.
That is, the
etching rate becomes very small when the
neutral flux is negligible.
Also, the etching
rate becomes very small when the ion energy
flux is negligible.
Etch rates
Ion energy flux or neutral flux
The etch rate becomes larger when there are appreciable contributions from
both ions and neutrals than when there is only one major contribution either
from neutrals or ions.
When the surface is saturated with neutrals and the etching rate becomes
controlled by ions: Re Vi E.i J i Also, when the surface is depleted with neutrals
and the etching rate becomes controlled by neutrals:
. Re Vn S0 J n
At constant ion energy flux, the etching rate increases in proportion to the
neutral flux and then saturates with the further increase. This is also the
same for the increase of the ion energy flux.
54
RIE-lag
Etch
rates of
SiO2
Mask
Large
contact
Small
contact
SiO2
Inverse RIE-lag
Mask
Flux ratio for ions over neutrals

Higher A/R structures
Lower pressure
Large
contact
SiO2
Small
contact
55

For a given pressure and gas composition, the optimum flux ratio of
ions over neutrals can be obtained for a certain aspect ratio.
(a) At low pressures, the flux ratio of ions over neutrals is so large that the
etching process becomes dominated by neutral flux at the high aspect
ratio structures but not at open areas where appreciable neutral flux is
available. Thus the etching rates at the open areas can be higher than
those at the high aspect ratio structures.
(b) At high pressures, the flux ratio of ions over neutrals becomes low and
the etching process becomes faster at the high aspect ratio structures
because enough neutral flux is available. But at open structures, the
etching rates become slower due to polymer deposition that is resulted
from the increased neutral flux. Thus the etching rates at the open
structures become lower than those at the high aspect ratio structures.
Q) Considering (a) and (b), plot qualitatively etch rates as a function

of aspect ratio for cases of low pressure and high pressure.
56

Etching 2014

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Etching 2014

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PART III: ETCHING TECHNOLOGY

1. PLASMA ETCHING FUNDAMENTALS

2. ISSUES OF ETCHING FOR NANO-PROCESSING

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS

PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS

Ion-enhanced directional etching:

Inhibitor-driven ion-assisted etching:

so ion bombardment does not cause

PLASMA ETCHING MECHANISMS

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES

Ar* Ar + photon (Used for OES)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE EFFECTS)

Pressure affects the

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE EFFECT)

- Electron energy and ionization rate tend to decrease with

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE EFFECT)

- The ratio of neutrals to ions is higher at high pressure

PRESSURE EFFECT IN CHEMICAL KINETICS

In the case of elementary reactions:

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (PRESSURE)

CF2 + CF2 = C2F4

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FLOW RATE)

Flow rate effect (low flow rate regime)

where Re = etch rate (/min), As = substrate area, Q = flow rate (sccm).

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FLOW RATE)

Overall flow rate effect

Limited by Residence time

Overall etching rate

Gas flow rate

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FLOW RATE)

If utilization factor is high, reaction products can affect gas

Q) Explain the effect of increasing the power in both graphs?

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FREQUENCY)

- If wt << 1, the process can respond to instantaneous

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (FREQUENCY)

Kei 10-7 cm3sec-1

Kex = 10-10 10-9

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

FREQUENCY EFFECT: ION TRANSIT FREQUENCY (ITF)

During half cycle, eVmax

2) When excitation frequency is significantly lower than the ion transit

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

FREQUENCY EFFECT: ELECTRON ENERGY OSCILLATION

While electrons in a discharge

The diagram shows electron

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (TEMPERATURE)

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (TEMPERATURE)

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (TEMPERATURE AND VOLATILITY)

SNT5039 Nano Processing (Etching Technology)

ETCHING PROCESS VARIABLES (WALL EFFECT)