Inductively coupled plasma etching of III{endash}V antimonides in BCl{sub 3}/Ar and Cl{sub 2}/Ar
- Center for High Technology Materials, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 (United States)
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)
- Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, Maryland 20783-1145 (United States)
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching characteristics of GaSb and AlGaAsSb have been investigated in BCl{sub 3}/Ar and Cl{sub 2}/Ar plasmas. The etch rates and selectivity between GaSb and AlGaAsSb are reported as functions of plasma chemistry, ICP power, rf self-bias, and chamber pressure. It is found that physical sputtering desorption of the etch products plays a dominant role in BCl{sub 3}/Ar ICP etching, while in Cl{sub 2}/Ar plasma, the chemical reaction dominates the etching. GaSb etch rates exceeding 2 {mu}m/min are achieved in Cl{sub 2}/Ar plasmas with smooth surfaces and anisotropic profiles. In BCl{sub 3}/Ar plasmas, etch rates of 5100 and 4200 {Angstrom}/min are obtained for GaSb and AlGaAsSb, respectively. The surfaces of both GaSb and AlGaAsSb etched in BCl{sub 3}/Ar plasmas remain smooth and stoichiometric over the entire range of plasma conditions investigated. This result is attributed to effective removal of etch products by physical sputtering. For a wide range of plasma conditions, the selectivity between GaSb and AlGaAsSb is close to unity, which is desirable for fabricating etched mirrors and gratings for Sb-based midinfrared laser diodes. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Vacuum Society.}
- OSTI ID:
- 345412
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena, Vol. 17, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: May 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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