Reactive ion etching of indium tin oxide with hydrogen bromide

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2220940· OSTI ID:5784676

Tsou, L Y ^[1]

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1. North American Philips Corp., Briarcliff Manor, NY (United States). Philips Lab.

Reactive ion etching of indium tin oxide (ITO) with hydrogen bromide (HBr) has been investigated, and two fundamentally different etching regimes have been identified. To reveal the basic mechanisms of etching, the authors have studied the effect of substrate temperature on etch rate by monitoring the emission intensity of atomic indium from the plasma. The results indicate that there are two different types of rate-limiting steps in the etching process, and that the etch rate is strongly temperature-dependent. At room temperature, the total etch rate of ITO is low, and there is a long incubation period before the onset of etching. At substrate temperatures below 100 C, etching is rate-limited by the slow removal of the etched product, indium bromide, and the primary contribution to etching is physical sputtering from the plasma. At temperature in excess of 150 C, etching is rate-limited by surface reaction of ITO with the bromine species, and the etch rate is increased by ion bombardment. They have demonstrated that ITO etch rates as high as 1,500 A/min are possible when a substrate temperature bias of 150 C is applied.

• OSTI ID: 5784676
• Journal Information: Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States) Vol. 140:10; ISSN JESOAN; ISSN 0013-4651
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360601* -- Other Materials-- Preparation & Manufacture
BROMINE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
ETCHING
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROBROMIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM OXIDES
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SURFACE FINISHING
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TIN COMPOUNDS
TIN OXIDES