Resist etching kinetics and pattern transfer in a helicon plasma
- AT T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ (United States)
The first commercial etching system is described based on a helicon ion source and characterize it for etching organic films in an oxygen plasma. This single wafer etching system achieves a throughput of at least 30 fully processed 5 in. wafers per hour, which is comparable to the throughput of batch reactors. The etching chamber is equipped with a 13.56-MHz 2500-W helicon source, four low-field magnets to shape the plasma and support the helicon wave mode, and a 600-W radio-frequency chuck with He backside beat exchange and a temperature range from [minus]50 to +125[degrees]C. Etching rates and uniformity were measured on unpatterned resist-coated wafers, while trilayer resist patterns were used to study pattern transfer effects. Under nearly optimum conditions we obtain an etching rate of 1.31 [mu]m/min, a throughput > 30 wafers/h, nonuniformity < 3%, selectivity [approx]70 relative to SiO[sub 2] and nearly vertical etching profiles for all types of features having dimensions down to 0.25 [mu]m. The effect of process variables on etching rate, uniformity, selectivity, and etching profiles are described. A model is presented based on multicomponent adsorption kinetics that fits the observed dependence of etching rate on the process variables. This etching system is being applied to several advanced lithographic schemes including dry-developed resists, bilayer lithography, and pattern transfer through organic antireflective coatings and planarizing layers. 28 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.
- OSTI ID:
- 6303362
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-920575-; CODEN: JVTBD9
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (United States), Vol. 10:6; Conference: Symposium on electron, ion and photon beams, Orlando, FL (United States), 26-29 May 1992; ISSN 0734-211X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ETCHING
REACTION KINETICS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ADSORPTION
COATINGS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FILMS
HELICON WAVES
MASKING
PLASMA
SURFACE FINISHING
DATA
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INFORMATION
KINETICS
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIATIONS
SORPTION
420200* - Engineering- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques
360601 - Other Materials- Preparation & Manufacture