ScAIN etch mask for highly selective etching

Patent · Tue May 12 04:00:00 EDT 2020

OSTI ID:1650902

Henry, Michael David; Young, Travis Ryan; Douglas, Erica Ann

A fabrication process employing the use of ScAlN as an etch mask is disclosed. The ScAlN etch mask is chemically nonvolatile in fluorine-based etch chemistries and has a low sputter yield, resulting in greater etch mask selectivity and reduced surface roughness for silicon and other semiconductor materials. The ScAlN etch mask has an etch mask selectivity of greater than 200,000:1 relative to silicon compared to an etch mask selectivity of less than 40,000:1 for a prior art AlN etch mask relative to silicon. Further, due to reduced sputtering of the ScAlN etch mask, and thus reduced micromasking, the ScAlN etch mask yielded a surface roughness of 0.6 μm compared to a surface roughness of 2.8 μm for an AlN etch mask.

• Research Organization: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• DOE Contract Number: NA0003525
• Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (Albuquerque, NM)
• Patent Number(s): 10,651,048
• Application Number: 16/537,953
• OSTI ID: 1650902
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY