Native oxide removal during chlorine reactive ion etching of silicon in an rf diode reactor
- David Sarnoff Research Center, Inc., CN 5300, Princeton, NJ (USA)
Chlorine reactive ion etching of silicon requires the initial removal of the native oxide prior to rapid etching of silicon. The threshold energy for sputter removal of the native oxide on silicon was measured from the apparent oxide thickness on the silicon surface as determined by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy of the Si 2{ital p} core level. Using model computations, the threshold energy to sputter the modified native oxide was determined to be 72{plus minus}5 eV. The surface film chemistry during etching is different above and below the sputter threshold energy. Above the threshold, the silicon surface is contaminated with 1--2 monolayers of SiCl{sub {ital x}} ({ital x}=1,2,3) and residual SiClO{sub {ital y}}. Below the threshold, the oxide is not etched and SiClO{sub {ital y}} forms on the native oxide surface. The film thickness is observed to increase with ion energy to the threshold energy indicating that ion induced chemisorption phenomena control the film thickness.
- OSTI ID:
- 6358265
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA) Vol. 68:5; ISSN 0021-8979; ISSN JAPIA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BEAMS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORINE IONS
COLLISIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
ETCHING
FILMS
ION BEAMS
ION COLLISIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IONS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
PLASMA
RADIATIONS
REMOVAL
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SPECTROSCOPY
SURFACE FINISHING
SURFACES
X RADIATION