Diagnostics of low-pressure oxygen RF plasma and the mechanism for polymer etching: A comparison of reactive sputter etching and magnetron sputter etching
The authors compare low-pressure oxygen RF plasmas and the etching of photoresist in a reactive sputter etch reactor and in a magnetron etch reactor using Langmuir probe, optical emission actinometry, and mass spectrometry measurements. The Langmuir probe data allow the determination of the plasma ion density and electron temperature, and thus the ion flux onto the substrate. The optical data yield information on the presence of O atoms and O/sub 2//sup +/ ions. Stable reactant and product species are monitored with a mass spectrometer. The main difference between the two reactors is that in magnetron sputter etching (MSE), the ion flux to the substrate is about an order of magnitude higher, under comparable plasma conditions, than in reactive sputter etching (RSE). This accounts for the higher etch rate in MSE. However, the etch yield per ion is higher in RSE because of the higher ion energy. Etch rates correlate neither with the ion flux to the substrate nor with the density of O atoms in the plasma, but change in parallel with the consumption of reactant gas. They conclude that in etching a polymer in a low-pressure oxygen plasma, the main neutral reactant species are O/sub 2/ molecules, and an important role of the ions is to remove reaction products from the substrate surface.
- Research Organization:
- Laboratories RCA Ltd., Badenerstrasse 569, CH-8048, Zurich
- OSTI ID:
- 5897554
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States) Vol. PS-14:2; ISSN ITPSB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
360401* -- Polymers & Plastics-- Preparation & Fabrication-- (-1987)
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRIC PROBES
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
ETCHING
ION DENSITY
LANGMUIR PROBE
MAGNETRONS
MASS SPECTRA
MASS SPECTROMETERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
MICROWAVE TUBES
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
PLASMA
POLYMERS
PROBES
RF SYSTEMS
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS
SPUTTERING
SUBSTRATES
SURFACE FINISHING