Correlation between surface chemistry and ion energy dependence of the etch yield in multicomponent oxides etching

Journal Article · Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3223350· OSTI ID:21361822

Berube, P -M; Poirier, J -S; Margot, J; Stafford, L ^[1]; Ndione, P F; Chaker, M; Morandotti, R ^[2]

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1. Departement de Physique, Universite de Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 (Canada)
2. INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Quebec J3X 1S2 (Canada)

The influence of surface chemistry in plasma etching of multicomponent oxides was investigated through measurements of the ion energy dependence of the etch yield. Using pulsed-laser-deposited Ca{sub x}Ba{sub (1-x)}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 6} (CBN) and SrTiO{sub 3} thin films as examples, it was found that the etching energy threshold shifts toward values larger or smaller than the sputtering threshold depending on whether or not ion-assisted chemical etching is the dominant etching pathway and whether surface chemistry is enhancing or inhibiting desorption of the film atoms. In the case of CBN films etched in an inductively coupled Cl{sub 2} plasma, it is found that the chlorine uptake is inhibiting the etching reaction, with the desorption of nonvolatile NbCl{sub 2} and BaCl{sub 2} compounds being the rate-limiting step.

• OSTI ID: 21361822
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 106, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3223350; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BARIUM CHLORIDES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CHLORINE
DESORPTION
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
ENERGY DEPENDENCE
ETCHING
IONS
LASER RADIATION
LASERS
NIOBIUM COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
PLASMA
PULSED IRRADIATION
SPUTTERING
STRONTIUM TITANATES
THIN FILMS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
DEPOSITION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
FILMS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENS
IRRADIATION
NONMETALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATIONS
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
SORPTION
STRONTIUM COMPOUNDS
SURFACE COATING
SURFACE FINISHING
TITANATES
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS