ISSN:
1077-3118
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
We report an experimental study on the evolution of etch front roughness in fluorinated polyimide films in oxygen based plasmas. For standard low-pressure (40 mT) etching conditions, the root-mean-square roughness, w, of the polymer surface increases with the amount of material etched, d, as w=0.0265(d−116)β with β=1, independent of etch rate, rf power, and gas composition. The etched surfaces can be described by the statistics of self-affine surfaces with scaling exponent, α=0.6±0.1 and lateral correlation length, ξ, of ∼0.3 μm. A dramatic reduction in roughness is observed under higher pressure etching conditions of 1000–2000 mT. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1364507
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