Ion bombardment effects in plasma-assisted etching of silicon

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:7033918

Vitkavage, D J

Effects of low energy ion bombardment on silicon surfaces were investigated using ion beam techniques coupled with surface characterization methods. Those processes important to plasma-assisted etching of silicon such as crystalline damage formation, incorporation of energetic ions and adsorbed gas atoms, and sputtering were emphasized. The employed surface characterization techniques included Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The amount of crystalline damage decreased with increasing ion mass and increased with increasing ion energy and dose. Damage produced by 1 keV argon and neon ions was confined to within 100 A of the surface. Hydrogen ion bombardment produced crystalline damage extending at least 400 A into the bulk, however. Exposure of the silicon surface to a flux of Cl/sub 2/ molecules during 1 keV Ar/sup +/ bombardment at normal incidence lead to the incorporation of 1-2 monolayers of chlorine and a three-fold increase in the silicon removal rate. Crystalline damage, implanted carbon and fluorine atoms and deposition of a fluorocarbon overlayer were all detected after bombardment of silicon with a CHF/sub 3/ ion beam.

• Research Organization: North Carolina Univ., Chapel Hill (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7033918
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360605* -- Materials-- Radiation Effects
ARGON IONS
CATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
DATA
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RANGE
ETCHING
EV RANGE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
FLUOROFORM
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
IONS
KEV RANGE
KEV RANGE 01-10
NEON IONS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SURFACE FINISHING
SURFACES