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Title: Feasibility of atomic layer etching of polymer material based on sequential O{sub 2} exposure and Ar low-pressure plasma-etching

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4812750· OSTI ID:22163070
; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Material Science and Engineering and Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)

We describe controlled, self-limited etching of a polystyrene polymer using a composite etching cycle consisting of sequential deposition of a thin reactive layer from precursors produced from a polymer-coated electrode within the etching chamber, modification using O{sub 2} exposure, and subsequent low-pressure Ar plasma etching, which removes the oxygen-modified deposited reactive layer along with Almost-Equal-To 0.1 nm unmodified polymer. Deposition prevents net etching of the unmodified polymer during the etching step and enables self-limited etch rates of 0.1 nm/cycle.

OSTI ID:
22163070
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 102, Issue 25; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English