ISSN:
1077-3118
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
We report on the spatially dependent enhanced etch rate of SiO2 in a CF4 planar reactive ion etcher due to the presence of the compounds GaAs or InP, or the single elements Ti, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Al, Ga, In, or Ge. The etch rate enhancement is maximum immediately adjacent to the source of the material and decreases nonlinearly with increasing distance away from the source of the material. Of the materials studied, the largest local etch rate increase was due to the element Ni (65% increase), followed closely by the elements In (57%) and Ga (43%) and the compounds InP (55%) and GaAs (40%). The lateral range of the effect extends 5 to 30 mm away from the material depending on the element or compound. Material interaction, possibly a catalized reaction, with the CF4 plasma reactants and lateral transport to provide an increased local concentration of fluorine at the SiO2 surface is a preliminary suggestion for the observed etch rate increase.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.102930
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