Selective etching of InP and InGaAsP over AlInAs using CH4/H2 reactive ion etching

Arnot, H. E. G.; Glew, R.W.; Schiavini, G. M.; Rigby, L. J.; Piccirillo, A.

doi:10.1063/1.109125

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…14,20,25 The problem of polymer deposition did not occur in the case of etching with pure H 2 plasmas since there was no hydrocarbon in the gas phase. Etching gas composition controls the rates of both processes.…”

Section: Gas Phase Reactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…CH 4 /H 2 plasmas [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] have also been used as etchants for InP ever since they were first introduced by Niggebrugge and co-workers. 1-12 Due to the low volatility of indium chlorides, it is necessary to increase substrate temperatures ͑i.e., to above about 200°C͒ to prevent severe surface roughening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP using CH4/H2 and CH4/H2/N2

Chen

Ruda

2002

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

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Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP in CH 4 /H 2 and CH 4 /H 2 /N 2 gas mixtures was studied to understand the etching mechanisms and the influence of etching gas composition on etching rate, etching profile, and surface morphology. CH 4 /H 2 plasmas generally had higher etching rates than CH 4 /H 2 /N 2 plasmas. Deterioration of InP surfaces, following etching, reflected the preferential loss of P over In due to the diffusivity and reactivity of H being higher than CH 3 on InP surfaces, and also since PH 3 is more volatile than In(CH 3 ) 3 . In extreme circumstances, this can lead to the formation of In-rich droplets on the surface, with associated surface roughening. This was supported by the opposing trends of surface roughness ͑measured using atomic force microscopy͒ and P/In ratio ͑from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy͒ as a function of the CH 4 gas concentration for CH 4 /H 2 gas mixtures. The addition of N 2 to the CH 4 /H 2 plasmas improved the surface morphology as N radicals reduced the rate of P removal by reacting with H radicals. However, an inevitable increase in the N ϩ and N 2 ϩ concentrations led to erosion of the SiO 2 masks and caused sloping sidewalls.

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Section: Gas Phase Reactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP using CH4/H2 and CH4/H2/N2

Chen

Ruda

2002

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

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“…CH 4 /H 4 plasmas [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] were used extensively as alternative etchants for InP ever since they were first introduced by Niggebrugge and co-workers. Due to the low volatility of indium chlorides, it is necessary to increase the substrate temperature ͑i.e., to in excess of 200°C͒ to prevent severe surface roughening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP using N2/H2

Chen

Ruda

Navarro³

2001

Journal of Applied Physics

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“…The InGaAs etch rate slowly increases with increasing percentage of methane in the plasma. The etch rate of InAlAs, however, became negative for methane concentrations over 8.5% at a dc bias voltage of Ϫ190 V. The reason for the negative etch rate is the formation of an aluminum-rich hydrocarbon layer 8,9 which corresponds to the polymer deposition rate on silicon. 3 Since the polymer is deposited on all nonetching surfaces, the etching chemistry has to be carefully adjusted to minimize the deposition process.…”

Section: A Etch Rate Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%