Modeling of the effects of die scale features on bulk plasma conditions in plasma etching equipment
- Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States)
The patterning of the wafer during microelectronics fabrication can have a significant effect on bulk plasma properties as well as producing local pattern dependent etch rates. Sputtering of photoresist, loading effects, and other surface interactions couple the chemistry at the wafer surface to the bulk plasma chemistry. A model has been developed which uses a Monte Carlo simulation to model quasi-steady state die scale surface chemistry in plasma etching reactors. This model is integrated within the Hybrid Plasma Equipment Model (HPEM) which resolves two-dimensional reactor scale plasma conditions. The HPEM consists of an electromagnetics, electron Monte Carlo simulation, and a fluid plasma modules. The surface Monte Carlo simulation is used to modify the flux boundary condition at the wafer surface within the HPEM. Species which react on the surface, or which are created at the surface are tracked on and near the wafer surface.this gives a quasi-steady state surface chemistry reaction mechanism resolved in two dimensions on the die scale. An inductively coupled etching reactor is used to demonstrate the effect of surface chemistry on bulk plasma conditions over a range of pressures from 10 to 100 mtorr, 100`s w of inductively coupled power and 10`s to 100`s V rf applied substrate voltage. Under high etch rate conditions, macroloading effects are shown. As pressure is varied from 10 to 100 mtorr and the effect of local photoresist sputter and redeposit on nearby exposed etch area is shown to increase which leads to different etch rates near the boundaries of etching regions versus unexposed regions.
- OSTI ID:
- 323617
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970559--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Modeling of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional etch profiles in high density plasma reactors
Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Simulations of Low Pressure Semiconductor Plasma Processing