Database Development of SiO2 Etching with Fluorocarbon Plasmas Diluted with Various Noble Gases of Ar, Kr, and Xe

Abstract

In the semiconductor industry, fluorocarbon (FC) plasma is widely used in SiO2 etching, with Ar typically employed in the dilution of the FC plasma due to its cost effectiveness and accessibility. While it has been reported that plasmas with other noble gases, namely Kr and Xe, have distinct physical properties such as electron density and temperature, their implementation into plasma etching has not been sufficiently studied. In this work, we conducted SiO2 etching with FC plasmas diluted with different noble gases, i.e., FC precursors of C4F8 and CH2F2 with Ar, Kr, or Xe, under various gas flow rates of each as well as plasma diagnostics for the process interpretation. We show that Ar, Kr, and Xe gas mixtures depend on the FC precursor flow rate and the pattern width in a significantly different manner and we elucidate these findings based on plasma diagnostic results. The results of this work are expected to offer a practical etching database for diverse applications including plasma process engineering and the development of plasma simulation in the semiconductor industry.

Characterization of SiO2 Plasma Etching with Perfluorocarbon (C4F8 and C6F6) and Hydrofluorocarbon (CHF3 and C4H2F6) Precursors for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

“…This filtering process enables the RGA to generate a signal intensity profile as a function of atomic mass [ 38 ]. The RGA, located on a chamber port, has a separate vacuum space from the main chamber via an orifice with the diameter of approximately 100 , which helps in maintaining the RGA pressure at approximately two orders of magnitude lower than the main chamber pressure [ 39 ]. The orifice is considered to directly contact to the plasma diagnosed as the chamber wall.…”

Modeling and Comparative Analysis of Atmospheric Pressure Anodic Carbon Arc Discharge in Argon and Helium–Producing Carbon Nanostructures

“…Nanotechnologies are a rapidly developing area of modern science. The goal of modern nanotechnologies is a comprehensive study of the processes and products of the synthesis of nanostructures and nanostructured materials with controlled functional properties [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Plasma synthesis of nanostructures has great potential compared to traditional (CVD, high temperature and high pressure, liquid phase, etc.)…”

“…These features of plasma synthesis are due to the possibility of supporting the production of nanostructures with a higher yield both in the plasma volume and at its boundaries (walls limiting the plasma volume, open discharge boundaries, “plasma-gas”), and also often at high parameter gradients (temperature, concentrations, electric fields) of the working medium and higher chemical purity, compared, for example, with CVD [ 3 ]. Moreover, the production of nanostructures using non-equilibrium plasma, in which plasma particles, including ions, electrons, excited and neutral particles, and radicals, are at different temperatures, is especially attractive, since it provides non-thermal synthesis of a wide range of nanomaterials, both with high and low melting temperatures [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], and at low and high pressures.…”

“…At present, various types of discharges are used in the problems of plasma synthesis of nanostructures and nanomaterials [10][11][12][13]. At the same time, an arc discharge at atmospheric pressure in inert gases stands out among other methods for the synthesis of nanostructures due to the high productivity, wide variety and high quality of the obtained nanomaterials, mainly core-shell nanoparticles, monolayers of transition metal Nanomaterials 2023, 13,1966 2 of 20 dichalcogenides, and carbon nanostructures such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and nanodiamonds [14][15][16][17][18]. The unique capabilities of the electric arc method are due to its flexibility and a wide range of plasma parameters.…”

Enhancement of Ar Ion Flux on the Substrate by Heterogeneous Charge Transfer Collision of Ar Atom with He Ion in an Inductively Coupled Ar/He Plasma

“…Understanding positive ion dynamics, including ion bombardment effects and transport in the sheath toward material surfaces, is crucial as positive ion species predominantly influence physical processes on surfaces [24]. For instance, ions transfer their kinetic energy to material surfaces, and the effects vary depending on the ion energy range [25]. Ion bombardment of the material surface leads to collision cascades, resulting in processes such as gas desorption, chemical sputtering, physical sputtering, and implantation [26].…”