plasma etching, ALE and rie ( 1 day)

The  course discusses the fundamentals of plasma assisted phenomena and reactive ion etching (RIE) processes. The emphasis is on the physical and chemical processes that determine the consequences of a reactive gas plasma/surface interaction. The role of energetic ions as encountered in RIE systems is discussed in detail and the factors which influence anisotropy of etching are highlighted. Plasma-assisted etching equipment is described including capacitively coupled, inductively coupled and wave-generated plasmas sources.
The instructor discusses the applied aspects of plasma-assisted etching from a general point of view. The emphasis is on mechanistic understanding. The etching of Si and its compounds is covered in detail. The chemistries used in the etching of other technology-related materials such as Al, organics, and III-V compounds are summarized. Other topics presented include selectivity, loading, ARDE and feature scale problems, damage, and issues associated with high-density plasma RIE. A section on plasma diagnostics and ion-beam based etching methods is briefly discussed.

This course will enable you to:

         The Fundamentals]

• know the basic concepts of plasma etching
• Plasma Systems
• understand the physics of rf glow discharges (both high and low density)
• understand the surface science aspects of RIE including the role of energetic ions
• recognize the factors which influence etching anisotropy
• learn about plasma-surface chemistry leading to etching
• [Applied Aspects]
• recognize fluorocarbon plasma etching of Si and its compounds
• understand selectivity, loading effects, and aspect ratio dependent etching
• learn about uniformity of etching, damage, feature charging issues, and particles
• understand etching of other materials (Al, organics, III-V compounds, etc)
• learn about plasma diagnostics such as optical emission spectroscopy with actinometry, mass spectrometry and laser-induced fluorescence
• discuss issues in high density plasma etching, wall effects, and ion beam-based methods.
• Discuss Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)
• Discuss applications and processing etching using ALE
• Discuss end point detection