Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• Pattern Transfer
• Plasmas for Materials Processing
• Mechanisms Associated w/ Plasma Etching
• Plasma Etching Tools and Methods
• Etch Processes
• Artifacts and Effects
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 2
UAHuntsville
Pattern Transfer
Also known as Etching
Some Important Subtractive
Processes in Microfabrication
Wet chemical etching (isotropic, anisotropic)
Electrochemical etching
Dry chemical etching
Physical/Chemical dry etch
Physical dry etch
Focused ion-beam milling
Laser machining
Ultrasonic drilling
Electrostatic discharge machining
Mechanical turning, drilling, milling, polishing, etc.
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 4
UAHuntsville
Pattern Transfer
• Transfer (etch) pattern
defined by resist layer into
substrate
• Unprotected areas
removed
• “Resist” is typically
photoresist but may be any
other patterned layer.
• Chemical processes
• Physical processes
• Wet or dry
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 5
UAHuntsville
Why Not Wet Etching?
• Many viable wet etching processes
– Acids, etc
• Dimensional control
– Directional vs. isotropic
– Etching of single crystals
• Commonly used for larger
structures or exotic films
• Not all wet processes are non‐
directional and not all dry
processes are directional, but dry
processes generally give more
control
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 6
UAHuntsville
Dry Pattern Transfer
• Dry etching
– Generic term covering everything using a gas in vacuum to
etch
• Plasma etching
– Generic term covering dry etching involving plasma
excitation.
• Essentially most dry etching but not all
• Reactive ion etching
– The specific type of plasma etching we most commonly
use.
• More later
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 7
UAHuntsville
Plasmas for Materials Processing
What is a plasma and why do we use
it and how do we make it
What is a Plasma?
• A plasma is an ionized gas
– Ions
– Electrons
– Molecular fragments
• Electrically neutral
• Generally electrically excited
– Various types of EM excitation
• Weakly ionized plasma
– Only a small fraction excited species
– Small but important
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 9
UAHuntsville
Various Processes Using Plasmas
• DC, RF, and LF Plasmas for Deposition
– Sputtering
– Plasma CVD
• DC for Ion Milling and CAIBE
• Reactive Ion Etching (RIE)
• Magnetically Enhanced Ion Etching (MIE)
• Electron Cyclotron Resonance Etching (ECR)
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Etching (ICP)
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 10
UAHuntsville
Role of the Plasma
• Gas by itself is not very reactive
– CF4+Si = zip
– CF4 plasma + Si = etching
– SiH4 plasma +O2 plasma = SiO2 deposition
• Create ions
• Create electrons
• Create excited species and radicals
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 11
UAHuntsville
Weakly Ionized Plasmas :
The Plasma Discharge
• Electrically driven
• Charge particle collisions (e‐) with neutral gas
molecules are important
• Surface losses at boundaries are important
• Ionization of neutrals sustains plasma in steady
state
• Electrons are not in thermal equilibrium with ions
• Weakly ionized and excited
– Generally <1% ions and radicals
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 12
UAHuntsville
Plasma Body and Sheaths
• The body is a quasineutral
– Equipotential
• Electrons can escape more rapidly at
edges than ions
• A potential barrier develops to
suppress electron escape
• All potential drop is across these
sheaths (dark spaces) at each
electrode
• Plasma body is more positive than
either electrode !!!
• Ions are accelerated by the sheath to
the electrodes
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 13
UAHuntsville
Electrode Area and Sheath
Voltages
• Sheath voltages not necessarily the
same on both electrodes
• Depends inversely on the 4th power of
the electrode area
• Smaller electrode has highest bias and
most voltage drop across the sheath
– Highest energy ion bombardment
• In most RIE processes, sample is on the
smaller electrode, getting significant
high energy ion bombardment. This is
typically also the cathode, the driven
electrode
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 14
UAHuntsville
What Do These Ions Do to the
Material?
• Samples on the electrodes (either electrode) get
bombarded by ions
• Inert Ions bombard the surface supplying enough energy
to break chemical bonds and/or dislodge atoms
• Reactive Ions bombard the surface and bond with atoms
creating volatile species
– Various mechanisms
• Etched atoms, ions and molecules are then pumped out of
the chamber
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 15
UAHuntsville
DC Diode Plasmas
• Introduction of a large DC bias
across two plates of unspecified
geometry with a low pressure gas
between them (.001 ‐ 1 Torr)
• Voltage is greater than the
breakdown voltage causing an
ionization cascade that leads to a
plasma
• Generally used for deposition and
inert milling of materials
• Requires conducting electrodes and
samples
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 16
UAHuntsville
RF Diode Plasmas
• RF power is driven
across two plates
• Electrons oscillate at the RF
frequency causing ionization
• Electrodes not necessarily
conductors
• Constraint: No time average
current of the plasma
• But the electrons respond faster than ions
• ====> a DC offset (bias) results so that the positive and negative swing
voltages are unequal but the positive and negative swing currents are equal.
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 17
UAHuntsville
RF Plasma Potentials
• Concerned w/ three
potentials
– average and instantaneous
Plasma Potential (Vp)
• Body of plasma
– RF input voltage (Vrf )
– (ave) DC bias (Vdc )
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 18
UAHuntsville
RF Plasma Potentials (Cont.)
• In RF diode Low Pressure
RIE
– Sample on Driven
Electrode
– Ave ion energy = eVdc
– Instantaneous Ion energy
at cathode = e(|Vdc|+Vp )
– Instantaneous ion energy
at anode = eVp
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 19
UAHuntsville
Mechanisms Associated with
Plasma Etching
Etching Mechanisms
• Range of mechanisms
– Completely chemical
– Completely physical
– Everything in between
• All important to various extents in different
processes
– Control by choice of configuration and process
parameters
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 21
UAHuntsville
Physical Etching
• “Inert” Ions bombard the
surface
– Sputter threshold ~ 10 eV
• Ions dislodge atoms from
surface
• Surface and sub‐surface
damage
• Momentum transfer‐‐no
chemistry
• Sputtered atoms generally
redeposited elsewhere
• A significant part of many
etch processes JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009
UAHuntsville
22
Ion Bombardment Effects
• Adverse effects of Redeposition
excessive physical
sputtering
• Caused by
– Re‐deposition of material
– Angular dependence
– Sputter yield
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 23
UAHuntsville
Ion Stimulated Chemical Reactions
• Gas adsorbs but does not
fully react
• Ion bombardment supplies
reaction energy
Alternatively
• Gas reacts fully but doesn’t
have enough energy to
desorb
• Ion bombardment supplies
desorption energy
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 24
UAHuntsville
Volatile Products
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 25
UAHuntsville
Directionality
• For the most part, ion bombardment is
directional
• Ion stimulated chemical reactions result in
directional etching ! !
– One of several mechanisms that promote
directionality
• Isotropic and anisotropic are poor word
choices
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 26
UAHuntsville
Plasma Passivation
• Etch reaction may leave something behind
– Often a carbon or fluorocarbon residue
• May arrest reaction
• Ion bombardment can remove this passivation on
exposed surfaces
– Exposed means exposed to ion bombardment
– Sidewalls are generally NOT exposed.
• A mechanism to prevent sidewall etching
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 27
UAHuntsville
Ion Stimulated Removal of
Passivation
• Ion bombardment on
bottom
– Passivation removal
– Etching
• Little ion bombardment
on sidewalls
– No passivation removal
– Little lateral etching
• DIRECTIONALITY !!
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 28
UAHuntsville
Plasma Etching Tools and
Configurations
Dry Etching Tools
• Various tools have been devised to etch
materials in plasmas
– Different Physical Configurations
– Different Power sources
– Different gases
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 30
UAHuntsville
Ion Milling
• Plain physical sputtering from an
ion beam source
– Kaufman Ion Source
• Plasma based
• Typically
– Ar+
– 500 eV
– Current 100 mAmp
– Rate 300‐1000 A/min
• When you don’t have a reactive
chemical process
– Magnetic materials
– Superconductors
– Hard oxides
10/16/2009
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
31
UAHuntsville
Generic Plasma Reactor
• Vacuum System
• Controlled pressure
– Millitorr range
• Controlled flow of gas
• Power
– RF, DC, µwave
• Coupling
– Capacitive
– Inductive
• Different configurations of geometry, pressure, power, etc give
you different effects, different techniques
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 32
UAHuntsville
Matching Network (RF)
• RF Power Supply
impedance = 50 Ohms
• Plasma Impedance
– Complex (non‐resistive)
– Not 50 Ohms
• Matching Network
required to facilitate
power coupling
– Unmatched impedance =
Large Reflected Power
• Variable LC network
– Auto‐tune to minimize
reflected power JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 33
UAHuntsville
Plasma Etching
• Barrel Reactor
• Wafers immersed in
plasma
– Little ion
bombardment
• Generally isotropic
– Highly “chemical”
process
• Plasma Cleaning/
Resist Stripping
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 34
UAHuntsville
(Low Pressure) Reactive Ion Etching (RIE)
• Etching with reactive ions
generated in an RF plasma
• RF Capacitive Diode
Configuration
– 13.56 MHz
– 50‐200 Watts
– 5 ‐ 50 mTorr
– 2‐100 sccm gas flow
– Rates ~ 100 ‐ 1500 A/min.
• Various gases depending on
material to be etched
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 35
UAHuntsville
High Density Plasmas
• Various ways to increase ionization
– MIE, ECR, ICP, etc
• More elections ====>
• More ions =====>
• More ion current=====>
– Lower voltage at same power
– Lower ion bombardment energy but more ion current
– More Ionization and more reactive radicals
– Less damage but higher etch rate
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 36
UAHuntsville
RF Plasmas in Magnetic Fields:
Magnetron
• Magnetic confinement
• F = q(E+v x B) ===> Increased electron path length before wall loss
• More ionization=======> Larger number of reactive species
• Yields higher etch rates ( ex. 2000 A/min oxide)
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 37
UAHuntsville
Electron Cyclotron Resonance RIE
(ECR)
• Excitation tuned to the
electron’s natural
rotational resonance in a
magnetic field
– 2.45 GHz microwaves
– 875 Gauss
• Power coupled directly
into the electron motion
– More efficient
– Higher ionization
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 38
UAHuntsville
ECR Etching
• Only a very small region (a
flat disk) has the
appropriate resonant
condition
• All power is adsorbed in
small volume
• Ions stream along
magnetic field lines
• Additional directionality
provided by lower RF bias
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 39
UAHuntsville
Reactive Ion Etching
• Plasma Therm 790 in NMDC
– O2, CF4, SF6, N2, CHF3
• Oxford Inst. System 100 ECR
at CAMD
– O2, CF4, SF6, N2
• Capable of etching
– SiO2, Si3N4, Si, Ti, Organics
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 40
UAHuntsville
Inductively Coupled Plasmas
( ICP )
• Power coupled into
plasma inductively
• Separate RF substrate bias
• Ionization separated from
the acceleration
• High Density Plasma
– KiloWatts
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 41
UAHuntsville
ICP etching for DRIE
• Unaxis SLR 770
• Chlorine etching of Silicon
• Deep RIE (Boschtm)
• STS DRIE etch tool
– Deep RIE (Boschtm)
– glass
• Oxford Instruments System 100
with ICP with 180 or 380 head
– Deep RIE (Boschtm)
– 3:5 materials
– glass
– cryosilicon etch
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 42
UAHuntsville
CAIBE
• Chemically Assisted Ion Beam Etching (and its
relative Reactive Ion Beam Etching)
• Pure ion stimulated chemical reactions
• Ion Milling(Ar+) + Chlorine
– Ar+ ion beam
– Chlorine background gas adsorbs on sample
• Almost exclusively for
GaAs/GaAlAs
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 43
UAHuntsville
CAIBE
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 44
UAHuntsville
CAIBE Using the Oxford
Instruments System 300+
• RIB 160
• Typical parameters
– 500 eV
– 50 ma
– 0.25 µm/min GaAs
• Good control of vertical
sidewalls to a few
microns deep
• Selectivity of 6:1 for
GaAs/GaAlAs
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 45
UAHuntsville
Etch Processes and Their
Characteristics
Examples of Plasma Etching
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 47
UAHuntsville
Deep Silicon Etches
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 48
UAHuntsville
Commonly Etched Materials
• Many different materials • Materials commonly
are dry etched using etched
plasmas – Si
• Many Gases – SiO2
– Poly Si
– CF4
– Si3N4
– CHF3
– Glass
– SF6
– Al
– Cl2
– W
– BCl3
– Ti
– Oxygen
– TiW
– Hydrogen
– GaAs
– SiC
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009
UAHuntsville – Resist 49
Common Masks
Plasma Mask
• CF4 Resist, metals
• SF6 Oxide, Nitride, Al, Resist
• Cl2 Oxide, Nitride, Resist ( poor)
• O2 Inorganic materials
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 50
UAHuntsville
Etchant Gases
Etchant Material Etched
• BCl3 Al2O3, GaAs
• CxHyFz SiO2, Si3N4, Ti
• SF6 Si, Poly Si
• Cl2 Si, Poly Si, SiC, Al, GaAs,
Cu (will discuss in detail)
• O2 Organic material
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 51
UAHuntsville
Choices of Gases :
Effects on the Etch Process
• Etchant Gases
– Provide primary etch species
– Make a volatile compound
• Additive Gases
• Modify selectivity
• Modify directionality
– Promote/remove passivation
– Increase / reduce etch species concentration
– Promote plasma stability
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 52
UAHuntsville
Etch Gases
• Generally Halogen containing gas
– CF4, CHF3, SF6, Cl2
• Other etch gases
– NF3, Br2, HBr, XeF2
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 53
UAHuntsville
Halocarbon Naming
• Most halocarbons go by their Dupont trade name
• Freontm 14, Freontm 13, Freontm 23, aka Halocarbon 14, etc.
• Right Digit= Number of F atoms
• Next Digit = one more than the number of H atoms
• 3d digit if used= one less than number of C atoms
• All other atoms are Cl unless otherwise noted
– Freon 14= CF4
– Freon 23=CHF3
– Freon 12=CCl2F2
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 54
UAHuntsville
Additive Gases
• Oxide Removal BCl3
– To remove Surface native oxide
• PasivatorsO2, CxHyFz
– Used to protect sidewalls during etching
• Inert Gases (Ar, etc) used for:
– Plasma Stability
– Ion Bombardment
• Plasma Inhibitors O2, BCl3, CxHyFz, H2
– Chemically modify plasma species
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 55
UAHuntsville
Inhibiting a CF4 etch
• Adjusting C,H,O balance by adding small amounts of H2
and O2
• Add H
– Reduces free F
– Polymer formation increases
• Add O
– Ties up CF3 radicals
– Reduces free F
– Polymer formation decreases
• Important for control of passivations and directionality
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 56
UAHuntsville
Pressure / Energy Considerations
• General rules to follow
– Increasing Pressure,
reduces sputtering,
and promotes isotropy
– Decreasing Power,
reduces sputtering,
increases Isotropy
– Decreasing Power also
reduces etch rate
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 57
UAHuntsville
Temperature Control
• Lots of power into wafer
• “Wafer temperature” is important
– Chemical reaction
• Wafer temperature is generally unknown and difficult to
control or measure
• Extremely poor heat conductivity TO THE WAFER in
vacuum
• Small problem with low powers (100 W)
• BIG PROBLEM with high powers (1000 W)
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 58
UAHuntsville
Heat Transfer in Vacuum
• What happens to energy driven into wafer?
– Poor heat transfer out of wafer in vacuum
– Few point contacts
– This is true for all vacuum processes
– Easy to get 100 C temperature difference even if you are actively
cooling the electrode ! ! ! !
– Easily melt resist (damaging resist mask)
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 59
UAHuntsville
Backside He Heat Transfer
• Bleed small amount of inert gas
(He) into cavity behind wafer (
1‐10 torr).
• Molecular heat transfer medium
– ( mfp > wafer gap)
• Many, many bounces each
carrying small amount of energy
• Wafer clamp
• Used on all high power etch and
deposition systems
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 60
UAHuntsville
Typical Plasma Etch Processes
Ion Milling
• Oxford Instruments System 300
• Kauffman Ion Gun
• 4‐6” inch wafers
• Typical rates using Ar
– 1KeV at 1mA/cm2
– C 400+ A/min
– Al 440 A/min
– W 380 A/min
– Ti 300 A/min
– Si 160 A/min
– Cu 1000 A/min
• Rates fairly uniform across
materials
• A purely physical sputtering,
momentum transfer technique
using Argon
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 62
UAHuntsville
Resist Stripping with Branson
Plasma Ashers
• Bransen Plasma Asher
– Plasma Etching tool
• Oxygen
• 600 Watts
• Resist strip and descum
• approx. 0.2 µm/min
• Don’t use after halogen
plasma or barrel will be
etched by halogen residuals
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 63
UAHuntsville
Resist Stripping With the Parallel Plate RIEs
• Low pressure RIE in Oxygen
• O2 plasmas break down organic
materials
– Typical pressure
– Typical flow
• Resist etch rates are about 0.1 µm /
min
• The addition of a small percentage of
CF4 to the plasma for the first two
minutes of the etch can help remove a
burned polymer layer produced in
Fluorine based plasmas
• Plasma Therm PT 72 shown. NMDC
version is the Plasma Therm 790 RIE
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 64
UAHuntsville
SiO2 Etch
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 65
UAHuntsville
Cl2 Etching process for Si ‐‐
silicon directional etch
• Cl2 etches Silicon
• Cl2 doesn’t etch silicon dioxide
– Oxide makes a good mask
• Must remove surface oxide
• Multistep Process
– Step 1: Dehydrogenate w/ H2 at
low power
– Step 2: Native oxide etch with BCl3
– Step 3: Etch with Cl2 using BCL3, H2
additives
• Rates
– < 0.35 µm/min with ICP
– < 0.1 µm/min with RIE
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 66
UAHuntsville
Isotropic Si Etching w/ SF6
MacDonald Group
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 67
UAHuntsville
Bosch Etching‐ Deep RIE
• Isotropic Fluorine etch driven into
directional etch by a cyclic process
deposition/etch process
• Argon for plasma stability and to
some ion bombardment on the
flat surface
• Etch rates from 1.6 to 10* µm/min
• Typically Vertical
• Shaped profiles possible by
increasing the time cycle ratio
between the etch and deposition
steps
• Aspect ratios as high as
40:1 can be achieved with
some process
development
• 50 µm diameter via holes
through 3” wafers can be
etched in nearly 4 hrs
• Silicon only*
John Williams
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 69
UAHuntsville
Titanium DRIE (MARIO Process)
• Metal Anisotropic
Reactive Ion Etching
(MARIO)
• Uses formation of Oxide
to promote passivation
and allows for Deep
Reactive Ion Etching of
Titanium
• Cl2 etch process
• BCl3 for oxide removal
• H2 assists in sidewall passivation for directionality
• Resist mask typically used
• Significant lateral etching when you hit the silicon
substrate
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 71
UAHuntsville
Copper Etch Process
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 72
UAHuntsville
Experimental Results from Copper
Etch Process
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 73
UAHuntsville
Lots of Process Parameters
• Type of instrument (Basic RIE, ECR, ICP)
– Increased ionization energy typically produces higher etch rates
– Artifacts to do ion bombardment, become more prevalent and constrain the
process window
• Different etch processes often require different input power from the RF
generator
– Nearly pure chemical etching of Silicon in RIE occurs at 100 W or less
– Cl2 ICP etching of silicon can be performed at 450 W
– Bosch Etching of Silicon in ICP uses 600 W
– Increasing the power of a particular process typically increases the etch rate
– To much power leads to poor etches
• Ion bombardment
• Redeposition of non‐volatile byproducts
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 74
UAHuntsville
Lots of Process Parameters (Cont.)
• Pressure
– Pressures required to produce a plasma decrease with increasing
ionization
• Barrel Ashers operate near 500 mTorr
• ECR etchers operate at 40 mTorr
• Temperature
– Decreasing the temperature decreases volatility
– Some processes like SF6/O2 deep silicon etch which produce highly
volatile species work better at lower temperatures. This occurs because
the oxide generated on the sidewalls is harder to etch at lower
temperatures
– Other processes such as Cl2 etching of Copper require high temperatures
to induce the volatility and produce a viable etch process
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 75
UAHuntsville
Lots of Process Parameters (Cont.)
• Gas mixtures are often used for etch processes
– Some SF6 plasmas require the addition of Ar to help stabilize the plasma and
reduce the amount of reflected power sent back into the RF generator
– CF4 is often added at the end of a O2 etch when etching resist to ensure a
clean surface
– H2 is added to CF4 and CHF3 plasmas to inhibit some of the free radicals and
improve uniformity and etch quality
• Gas flow rates
– Gas is continuously released into the chamber to generate and maintain the
plasma
– Vary depending on the chamber size and system used
– Typical gas flow rates are in the 10’s of standard cubic centimeters per min
(sccm)
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 76
UAHuntsville
Extra Things to consider
• Fixed recipes will generally get one close to the correct etch
however
– Chamber history does matter
– Plasma uniformity in the chamber can cause variations in the etch
across the substrate
– Imperfections in the mask layer require extra care in choosing etch
depths that can be achieved
– Some resist selectivity may vary slightly
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 77
UAHuntsville
Quantitative Etch Characteristics
• Etch Rate
– Typical etch rates are between 100 Angstroms to a few microns per
minute
• Selectivity to mask
– etch rate of material/etch rate of mask
• Best if > 1 One always wants some mask material remaining after the etch
• Typical values
– 4:1 oxide to resist using CF4
– 7:1 aluminum to resist using Cl2
– 10:1 silicon to oxide using Cl2
– 150:1 silicon to oxide using Bosch
– 75:1 silicon to resist using Bosch
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 78
UAHuntsville
Quantitative Etch Characteristics
• Selectivity to the substrate
– Etch rate of material / etch rate of substrate
– Typically want to stop at the base of the material being etched
– High selectivity between the desired etch material and the layer
underneath generally sought after to protect the device while
completing the etch step
• Uniformity across the wafer
– Note: etches will not always be uniform
– Loading effects and non‐uniformities in the plasma cause some areas
to etch faster than others
– Maintain high selectivity between the material to be etched and the
layer underneath
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 79
UAHuntsville
Qualitative Etch Characteristics
• Sidewall and Base Quality
– Residual material deposited on the sidewall during an etch
produces poor quality etches
– Is the sidewall or material at the base of the etch rough?
• Notching of mask / undercut
– Was the bias at the mask edge sufficient to produce milling of the
mask material?
• If so reduce the DC bias by changing the RF Power at the substrate
– Was the chemical nature of the etch so great that layer under the
mask was etched underneath the mask?
• Add additives to passivate the sidewall
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 80
UAHuntsville
Qualitative Etch Characteristics
(cont.)
• Directionality / Anisotropy
– Does ion damage appear to have created trenches?
• Decrease the power
– Does there appear to be redposition?
• Change the chemistry (gas mixture and pressure)
– Did the mask layer maintain it’s shape?
• Reduce the Power change the chemistry
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 81
UAHuntsville
Artifacts and Effects
“Loading” ‐‐ Various Kinds
• One wafer may not etch the same another wafer
– Various geometries on the different wafers
– Chamber history
• Etching large areas can lead to excess consumption of reactants causing slower etch
rates and area loading
– Middle of the wafer may not etch the same as the outside (note: this can also be due to
non‐uniformity of the etch tool itself. Care must be taken to determine which is
responsible)
• Small features don’t often etch at the same rate as large features
• Diffusion of reactants and products in the gas can have significant effects
– Etch rates may not constant as you go VERY deep due to difficulty associated with
pumping the products out of the hole.
– Dense patterns not same as sparse patterns
A classical chemical engineering problem
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 83
UAHuntsville
Loading Examples
• “Black Silicon”
• Wafer looks black to the eye
• Very rough “spikes” in etched area
in SEM picture
• Micromasking by sputtered , non‐
etching contamination
– Mask
– Electrode or chamber
• Either a process problem or a
system malfunction
– Excessive ion bombardment of
non‐etchable stuff
• Ugly‐‐VERY BAD John Williams
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 85
UAHuntsville
Grass‐‐Micromasking
Micro-masking
• Redeposition
– Production of a large number of non Redeposition
volitile products
– Production of products at a rate to
great to pump out
– Not always due to ion bombardment
but can be
• Trenching: scattering of ions off
sidewall causing excess etching at the
base of the wall (typically due to ion
bombardment)
• Faceting: excess etching of the mask
near the pattern edge (excess DC bias
leading to ion bombardment)
• Poor selectivity: due to ion
bombardment, and/or gas mixture
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 87
UAHuntsville
Residue
• Due to a mixture of the
following:
– Polymer residue from etch gases
– Polymeric residue from resists
– Redeposited etch materials
• Very difficult to remove in
standard solvents
• Very aggressive solvent mixtures
might remove residue if you
know the exact chemical
composition
John Williams
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 88
UAHuntsville
Faceting/Trenching/Sidewall Taper
• A signature of excessive
ion bombardment
– Too much bias voltage
– Not enough “chemistry”
John Williams
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 89
UAHuntsville
Resist Mask Wear Out
• Resist wear out caused early oxide
mask wear out. This lead to etched
groove in the sidewall
• Complete mask wear out leads to
uneven top surface. Micromasking
now plays a dominant role in the
top of the etch step.
John Williams
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 90
UAHuntsville
Things to Remember
• “Plasma Etching” (broad sense) is one of the most heavily used
techniques in MEMS
• Many variables effect results
– Pressure, Ionization, RF power, DC bias, Gas flow rates, Chamber history
• Processes may not transfer well from one tool to the next because
chamber history can have a large effect on the process
• Most plasma processes need to be tuned to the specific selectivity,
etch rate, etch profile, and loading characteristics needed at that
time. Thus what works for one process may need to be tuned slightly
for another.
JDW, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
10/16/2009 91
UAHuntsville