Etching Issues - Anisotropy

• Isotropic etchants etch at the same rate in

Dry Etching every direction
mask An-isotropic

Dr. Bruce K. Gale

Fundamentals of Micromachining
BIOEN 6421
Isotropic
EL EN 5221 and 6221
ME EN 5960 and 6960

Etching Issues - Selectivity Dry Etching Overview

• Selectivity is the ratio of the etch rate of the • What is dry etching?
target material being etched to the etch rate
– Material removal reactions occur in the gas phase.
of other materials
• Types of dry etching
• Chemical etches are generally more
– Non-plasma based dry etching
selective than plasma etches
– Plasma based dry etching
• Selectivity to masking material and to etch-
• Why dry etching?
stop is important
Mask • Development of dry etching
target
• Plasma parameters/influences
Etch stop
 Dry Etching Advantages Dry Etching
• Eliminates handling of dangerous acids and solvents • Disadvantages:
• Uses small amounts of chemicals
– Some gases are quite toxic and corrosive
• Isotropic or anisotropic etch profiles
• Directional etching without using the crystal orientation of Si
– Re-deposition of non-volatile compounds
• Faithfully transfer lithographically defined photoresist patterns – Need for specialized (expensive) equipment
into underlying layers • Types:
• High resolution and cleanliness
– Non-plasma based = uses spontaneous reaction
• Less undercutting
of appropriate reactive gas mixture
• No unintentional prolongation of etching
– Plasma based = uses radio frequency (RF)
• Better process control
power to drive chemical reaction
• Ease of automation (e.g., cassette loading)

Non-plasma Based Dry Etching Xenon Difluoride (XeF2) Etching

• Isotropic etching of Si • Isotropic etching of Si
• Typically fluorine-containing gases • High selectivity for Al, SiO2, Si3N4, PR,
(fluorides or interhalogens) that readily etch PSG
Si • 2XeF2 + Si 2Xe + SiF4
• High selectivity to masking layers • Typical etch rates of 1 to 3 µm/min
• No need for plasma processing equipment • Heat is generated during exothermic
reaction
• Highly controllable via temperature and • XeF2 reacts with water (or vapor) to form
partial pressure of reactants HF
Interhalogen (BrF3 & ClF3) Etching Plasma Based Dry Etching
• Nearly isotropic profile • RF power is used to drive chemical
• Gases react with Si to form SiF4 reactions
• Surface roughness: ~40 to 150 nm • Plasma takes place of elevated temperatures
• Masks: SiO2, Si3N4, PR, Al, Cu, Au, and Ni or very reactive chemicals
• Types:
– Physical etching
– Chemical etching
– Reactive ion etching (RIE)
– Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE)

Plasma Plasma Formation

• Plasma = partially ionized gas consisting of equal
numbers of “+” (ions) and “-“ (electrons) charges and
• Chamber is evacuated
a different number of neutral (un-ionized) molecules • Chamber is filled with gas(es)
• An ion-electron pair is continuously created by • RF energy is applied to a pair of electrodes
ionization and destroyed by recombination
• Applied energy accelerates electrons
• Typical kinetic energy (KE) of an electron in plasma is increasing kinetic energy
2-8 eV
• KE = ½ mV2 = 3/2 kT • Electrons collide with neutral gas
2 eV electron has molecules, forming ions and more electrons
– m = particle mass
T ≈ 15,000 K
– V = particle mean velocity
V ≈ 6 x 107 cm/s
• Steady state is reached (plasma); ionization
– k = Boltzmann constant
= 1,342,16176 mph
= recombination
– T = temperature (K)
 Plasma Formation Plasma Parameters
• Plasma discharge is characterized by central glow • Temperature • Power
or bulk region and dark or sheath regions near – Etching rate – Ion density
electrodes – Spontaneous chemical – Ion kinetic energy
• Bulk region = semi-neutral (nearly equal number reaction
of electrons and ions) – Etching directivity • Other variables
• Sheath regions = nearly all of the potential drop; – Gas flow rate
accelerates “+” ions from bulk region which – Reactor materials
bombard the substrate • Pressure
– Reactor cleanliness
• Maintained at 1 Pa (75 mtorr) to 750 Pa (56 torr) – Ion density
– Loading
with gas density of 27 x 1014 to 2 x 1017 – Ion directivity (microloading)
molecules/cm3 – Mask materials

Physical Etching (Sputter Etching) Two Basic Plasma Systems

• Based on physical bombardment with ions or atoms
• Plasma is used to energize a chemically inert projectile so
that it moves at high velocity when it strikes the substrate
• Momentum is transferred during the collision
• Substrate atoms are dislodged if projectile energy exceeds
bonding energy
• Very similar to ion implantation, but low-energy ions are
used to avoid implantation damage
• Highly anisotropic
• Etch rates for most materials are comparable (ie, no
masking)
• Argon is the most commonly used ion source
• May result in redeposition
 Plasma Etchers Chemical (Plasma) Etching:
• Plasma is used to produce chemically reactive
species (atoms, radicals, and ions) from inert
molecular gas
• Six major steps:
– Generation of reactive species (eg, free radicals)
– Diffusion to surface
– Adsorption on surface
– Chemical reaction
– Desorption of by-products
– Diffusion into bulk gas
• Production of gaseous by-products is extremely
important

Plasma Etching Steps Plasma Etching Systems

• Plasma Etching (PE)
• Barrel, barrel with downstream and symmetrical parallel
plate system
• Pure chemical etching
• Isotropic etching
 Reactive Ion Etching (RIE)
• RIE = process in which chemical etching is
accompanied by ionic bombardment (ie ion-
assisted etching)
• Bombardment opens areas for reactions
• Ionic bombardment:
– No undercutting since side-walls are not
exposed
– Greatly increased etch rate
– Structural degradation
– Lower selectivity
Disadvantages of RIE
• Conflict between etching rate and anisotropic
profile
– Etching rate (+) → Reactive species
concentration (+) → Gas pressure (+) →
Collision (+) → Anisotropic (-)
• Conflict between damage of high etching
rate and anisotropic profile
– KE (+) → Etching rate (+) → damage (+)
RIE System
• Reactive Ion Etching (RIE)
• Asymmetrical parallel plate system
• Plasma, sheath and
boundary layer
• Combination of physical
and chemical etching
• Anisotropic etching
Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)
• Uses electron cyclotron resonance (ECR)
source to supplement RIE system
• Microwave power at 245 GHz is coupled
into ECR
• Magnetic field is used to enhance transfer of
microwave energy to resonating electrons
• DRIE uses lower energy ions less
damage and higher selectivity
• Plasma maintained at 0.5 to 3 mtorr
 ECR Systems ICP System (DRIE)
• Inductively Coupled
• Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma (ICP)
(ECR) • Simple system
• Higher plasma density at lower • Almost same process
pressure result as that from the
• Control the density of the ECR system
reactive ions and their kinetic • Two RF power
energy separately generators to control
• Downstream of plasma further ion energy and ion
limits the exposure to reduce density separately
damage

Deep Reactive Ion Etch Deep Reactive Ion Etching

BOSCH Patent STS, Alcatel, Trion, Oxford Instruments … • high density ICP plasma
Unconstrained geometry • high aspect ratio Si structures
Uses high density plasma to alternatively 90° side walls • cost: $500K
etch silicon and deposit a etch-resistant ☺ High aspect ratio 1:30 • vendors: STS, Alcatel, PlasmaTherm
polymer on side walls Easily masked (PR, SiO2)
Source: LucasNova
Process recipe depends on
Polymer geometry

Polymer deposition Silicon etch using

SF6 chemistry Source: STS Source: AMMI
Source: STS
Scalloping and Footing Issues of DRIE DRIE Structures
Top wafer surface
cathode Top wafer surface
• Increased capacitance for
anode
actuation and sensing
llop
ed
sid
ew
all
• Low-stress structures
Sca

– single-crystal Si only
Thermal Actuator
Tip precursors
structural material
• Highly stiff in vertical Comb-drive Actuator
<100 nm silicon nanowire direction
over >10 micron gap
– isolation of motion to wafer
plane
– flat, robust structures

1 µm
microgrid
Footing at the bottom of
2DoF Electrostatic actuator
device layer
Milanovic et al, IEEE TED, Jan. 2001.

Etch Chemistries Etch Chemistries

• Organic Films • Oxide and Nitride Films
– Fluorine plasma is required (eg, CF4)
– Oxygen plasma is required
– Mask: PR
– By-products: CO, CO2, H2O
– Addition of O2
– Masks: Si, SiO2, Al, or Ti • Increases etch rate
– Addition of fluorine containing gases • Adjusts PR : oxide and PR : nitride selectivity
significantly increases etch rate but decreases • Silicon
selectivity (due to HF formation) – Fluorine plasma (CF4 or SF6)
– Chlorine plasma (Cl2)
– Mixed (fluorine and chlorine) plasma (Cl2 + SF6)