Electron-stimulated etching of surfaces functionalized by remote plasma is a flexible and novel approach for material removal. In comparison with plasma dry etching, which uses the ion-neutral synergistic effect to control material etching, electron beam-induced etching (EBIE) uses an electron-neutral synergistic effect. This approach appears promising for the reduction of plasma-induced damage (PID), including atomic displacement and lateral straggling, along with the potential for greater control and lateral resolution. One challenge for EBIE is the limited selection of chemical precursor molecules that can be used to produce functionalized materials suitable for etching under electron beam irradiation. In this work, we studied a new experimental approach that utilizes a remote plasma source to functionalize substrate surfaces in conjunction with electron beam irradiation by an electron flood gun. Etching rates (ERs) of SiO2, Si3N4, and poly-Si are reported in a broad survey of processing conditions. The parametric dependence of the ER of these Si-based materials on the operating parameters of the flood gun and the remote plasma source is evaluated. We also identified the processing parameters that enable the realization of material selective removal, i.e., the etching selectivity of Si3N4 over SiO2 and poly-Si over SiO2. Additionally, surface characterization of etched materials is used to clarify the effects of the co-introduction of particle fluxes from the remote plasma and flood gun sources on surface chemistry.
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Electron beam-induced etching of SiO2, Si3N4, and poly-Si assisted by CF4/O2 remote plasma
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January 2023
Research Article|
December 29 2022
Electron beam-induced etching of SiO2, Si3N4, and poly-Si assisted by CF4/O2 remote plasma
Kang-Yi Lin
;
Kang-Yi Lin
(Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park
, Maryland 20740
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Christian Preischl;
Christian Preischl
(Writing – review & editing)
2
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
, Rossdorf 64380, Germany
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Christian Felix Hermanns;
Christian Felix Hermanns
(Writing – review & editing)
2
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
, Rossdorf 64380, Germany
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Daniel Rhinow
;
Daniel Rhinow
(Writing – review & editing)
2
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
, Rossdorf 64380, Germany
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Hans-Michael Solowan;
Hans-Michael Solowan
(Writing – review & editing)
2
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
, Rossdorf 64380, Germany
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Michael Budach
;
Michael Budach
(Writing – review & editing)
2
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
, Rossdorf 64380, Germany
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Hubertus Marbach
;
Hubertus Marbach
(Writing – review & editing)
2
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
, Rossdorf 64380, Germany
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Klaus Edinger;
Klaus Edinger
(Writing – review & editing)
2
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
, Rossdorf 64380, Germany
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G. S. Oehrlein
G. S. Oehrlein
a)
(Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park
, Maryland 20740a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: oehrlein@umd.edu
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: oehrlein@umd.edu
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 41, 013004 (2023)
Article history
Received:
September 19 2022
Accepted:
December 06 2022
Citation
Kang-Yi Lin, Christian Preischl, Christian Felix Hermanns, Daniel Rhinow, Hans-Michael Solowan, Michael Budach, Hubertus Marbach, Klaus Edinger, G. S. Oehrlein; Electron beam-induced etching of SiO2, Si3N4, and poly-Si assisted by CF4/O2 remote plasma. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 January 2023; 41 (1): 013004. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0002234
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