Pulsed Plasma with Synchronous Boundary Voltage for Rapid Atomic Layer Etching
Atomic Layer ETching (ALET) of a solid with monolayer precision is a critical requirement for advancing nanoscience and nanotechnology. Current plasma etching techniques do not have the level of control or damage-free nature that is needed for patterning delicate sub-20 nm structures. In addition, conventional ALET, based on pulsed gases with long reactant adsorption and purging steps, is very slow. In this work, novel pulsed plasma methods with synchronous substrate and/or “boundary electrode” bias were developed for highly selective, rapid ALET. Pulsed plasma and tailored bias voltage waveforms provided controlled ion energy and narrow energy spread, which are critical for highly selective and damage-free etching. The broad goal of the project was to investigate the plasma science and engineering that will lead to rapid ALET with monolayer precision. A combined experimental-simulation study was employed to achieve this goal.
- Research Organization:
- UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0000881
- OSTI ID:
- 1130983
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-UH-00881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Atomic layer etching removal of damaged layers in a contact hole for low sheet resistance
Fluorocarbon based atomic layer etching of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} and etching selectivity of SiO{sub 2} over Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}