Modeling ion beam milling

Abstract

Ion beam milling is a dry etching process capable of anisotropically transferring lithographic patterns from photoresist (or other mask material) into an underlying substrate. The process is conceptually simple, experimentally controllable, and therefore relatively easy to simulate on a computer. In this paper, the results of an attempt to construct a physically realistic model of ion beam milling are reported. The model explicitly demonstrates the effects of redeposition and reflected ion beam milling on the sample surface. Several comparisons of simulated profiles with real sample profiles are presented.