The authors demonstrate atomic layer etching of SiO2 using a steady-state Ar plasma, periodic injection of a defined number of C4F8 molecules, and synchronized plasma-based Ar+ ion bombardment. C4F8 injection enables control of the deposited fluorocarbon (FC) layer thickness in the one to several Ångstrom range and chemical modification of the SiO2 surface. For low energy Ar+ ion bombardment conditions, the physical sputter rate of SiO2 vanishes, whereas SiO2 can be etched when FC reactants are present at the surface. The authors have measured for the first time the temporal variation of the chemically enhanced etch rate of SiO2 for Ar+ ion energies below 30 eV as a function of fluorocarbon surface coverage. This approach enables controlled removal of Ångstrom-thick SiO2 layers. Our results demonstrate that development of atomic layer etching processes even for complex materials is feasible.
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March 2014
Research Article|
December 12 2013
Fluorocarbon assisted atomic layer etching of SiO2 using cyclic Ar/C4F8 plasma
Dominik Metzler;
Dominik Metzler
Department of Material Science and Engineering, Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland
, College Park, Maryland 20742
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Robert L. Bruce;
Robert L. Bruce
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598
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Sebastian Engelmann;
Sebastian Engelmann
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598
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Eric A. Joseph;
Eric A. Joseph
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598
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Gottlieb S. Oehrlein
Gottlieb S. Oehrlein
a)
Department of Material Science and Engineering, Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland
, College Park, Maryland 20742
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a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: oehrlein@umd.edu
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 32, 020603 (2014)
Article history
Received:
November 07 2013
Accepted:
November 26 2013
Citation
Dominik Metzler, Robert L. Bruce, Sebastian Engelmann, Eric A. Joseph, Gottlieb S. Oehrlein; Fluorocarbon assisted atomic layer etching of SiO2 using cyclic Ar/C4F8 plasma. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 March 2014; 32 (2): 020603. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.4843575
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