Chemical Vapor Deposition

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Chemical Vapor Deposition University of Iowa Microfabrication Facility (UIMF) Optical Science and Technology Center UIMF Training – Module 2 Plasma Etching and Thin-film technologies Aju Jugessur Ph.D. Outline Plasma Etching Technologies Thin-film deposition technologies Applications 2 Outline • Introduction • Principles of dry-etching • Etch plasmas: DC and RF • Physical and Chemical etching • Etching reactors 3 Dry Etching A family of methods by which a solid surface is etched in the gas phase by ion bombardment, chemically by a chemical reaction with reactive species at the surface or could be a combination of physical and chemical mechanisms. The need for better control of the CD dimension triggered a major research and development in all types of dry-etching processes based on plasmas. Dry-etch – physical: ions, momentum transfer, anisotropic, More widely used for small features Combination of physical and chemical – Combines both directionality and selectivity Degree of anisotropy controlled by plasma conditions 4 Relationship between the various dry etching techniques Dry-etching Glow-discharge methods Ion beam methods – – diode set-up triode set-ups Physical etching only Plasma etching Reactive ion Sputter etching Ion milling Ion beam Reactive ion etching assisted chem. beam etching sputtering etch 0.2-2 Torr 0.01- 0.2 Torr 10-3 to 10-4 Torr Low energy High energy High energy No reactive Reactive Some reactive bombardment bombardment bombardment neutrals neutrals added neutrals 5 Some common Dry etching systems CAIBE RIBE IBE MIE MERIE RIE Barrel PE etching Pressure ~ 10-4 ~10-4 ~10-4 10-3 10-3 – 10-3-10-1 10-1-100 10-1-10 1 (Torr) -10-2 10-2 Etch Chem./ Chem. Phys. Phys. Chem/ Chem/ chem Chem Mechanism phys. /phys. phys phys SelecDvity good good poor poor good good excellent good Profile Anis. Anis. Anis. Anis. Anis. Iso. Or Iso. Iso. Or Or iso. anis. anis. CAIBE: chemically assisted ion beam etching; MERIE: magnetically ehnanced reactive ion etching; PE: plasma etching; RIBE: reactive ion beam etching; RIE: reactive ion etching; MIE: magnetically enhanced ion etching 6 Directionality of etching process volatile Volatile product volatile neutral ion ion neutral product neutral product + + ion + inhibitor Ion-enhanced Sputtering Chemical Ion-enhanced energetic inhibitor Physical and chemical Side-walls are protected Mask is etched most Chemical etching at etching at high voltage from undercutting by rapidly near mask corner. low voltage and high and low pressure a surface species, Slope becomes less steep, pressure leads to isotropic Directional anisotropy e.g. a polymer not all ions reaching bottom etch and lateral undercuts parallel to sides 7 Etch plasmas: DC and RF Plasmas A plasma may be considered as a region of a gas discharge which contains essentially equal quantities of positive and negative charge associated with various species of charge carrier. DC plasmas The simplest plasma reactor consists of opposed parallel plates electrodes in a chamber maintained at low pressure, 0.001 to 1 Torr. Applying a 1.5 kV between anode and V cathode separated by 15 cm results Vp cathode in a 100 V/cm field. 0 Anode ions Electrical breakdown of Ar gas occur electrons when accelerated electrons in field transfer an amount of kinetic energy to overcome the argon ionizing potential (15.7 ev). V e Such energetic collisions generate a second free e- and +ve ion, creating an avalanche of ions and electrons resulting in a gas Plasma sheath breakdown emitting a characteristic glow. 8 Kinetic theory – random velocity distribution of flux of ions and electrons n < v > j = i,e i,e i,e 4 Where ji,e : random velocity distribution of flux of ions and electrons ni,e :densities of ions and electrons vi,e : average velocities Ions are heavier than electrons (~ 4000 to 100,000 heavier); average velocity of electrons is larger implying larger electron flux Bombarding energy of ion is proportional to the potential difference between plasma potential and surface being struck by ions. 9 RF plasmas In an RF-generated plasma, a radio frequency voltage is applied between the two electrodes causing the free electrons to oscillate and collide with gas molecules leading to a sustainable plasma. RF-excited plasmas can be sustained without relying on the emission of secondary electrons from the target. Lower pressure than DC ~ 40 mTorr – more anisotropy RF allows etching of dielectrics as well as metals. Matching Ground shield network cathode 13.56 mHz RF electrode with target RF generator, 1.2 kW anode Substrate holder for deposition Vacuum chamber wall 10 11 12 An RF plasma, formed at low gas pressures, consists of positive cations, negative ions, radicals, vibrationally excited polyatomic species and photons (create the plasma glow). The RF frequency chosen is 13.56 MHz because it does not interfere with radio-transmitted signals, RF power supply is between 1-2 kW. When initiating a plasma arc, electrons charge up the capacitively coupled electrode; since no charge can be transferred over the capacitor the electrode surface acquires a –ve DC bias Energy of charge particles bombarding the surface in a glow discharge is determined by 3 different potentials established in the reaction chamber Plasma potential, Vp The self-bias Vdc The bias on the capacitively coupled electrode (VRF)pp Max. energy of +ve ions striking a substrate placed on cathode is proportional to E = e(V +V ) = eV max DC p T 13 Types of physical Etching • Physical sputtering • Reactive Ion etching • Plasma etching Physical Sputtering (& Ion Beam Milling) Higher < 100 mTorr • physical momentum transfer Excitation • directional etch – anisotropic possible energy • poor selectivity • radiation damage possible Reactive Ion Etching • physical (ion) and chemical 100 mTorr • directional range • more selective than sputtering Plasma etching • chemical, thus faster by 10-10000x • isotropic • more selective Higher • less prone to radiation damage pressure 14 Schematic view of the microscopic processes occurring during the dry-etch of a silicon wafer redisposition 8. Pump out Incoming gas Gas in 1. Electron impact To pump reactions plasma Etchant 7. Transport into Key Steps: creation bulk of gas 1. Generation of reactive species 2. Transport to 2. Species transported to surface Surface + gas- phase reactions by diffusion Gaseous 3. Adsorption at surface product 4. Chemical reaction – formation of Gaseous reactants volatile products sheath + + + + 3 4. Etchant/film 5. desorption 5. Product desorption Adsorbed reactants reaction 6. Ion bombardment Film on Desorption: substance release from wafer or through a surface wafer Adsorption:adhesion of ions atoms to surface 15 16 17 Produces electric field lines from a helical resonator combined with an electrostatic shield to produce electric field lines that are circumferential in response to the RF field 18 19 20 Etch Parameters within control • Gas composition: types and ratios • Flows: -affecting generation of active species -affect consumption of active species -affect removal rate of reactive by-products -affect residence time • Pressure • Power/Bias • Temperature • Magnetic field 21 Ex: Dry etching - Reactive Ion Etching III-V III-V etch PECVD etch silica etch Mask 200 nm 200 nm 200 nm Gas manifold PMMA SiO2 SiO2 Gases CHF3 SiCl4:O2 SiCl4:O2 Process Corrected Standard 15:0 15:1 chamber flow process vent Plasma and (sccm) wafer monitoring RF forward 250 250 Wafer heating power (W) and cooling Pressure Open Open Pump N 2 (mTorr) valve valve exhaust (5 mT) (5mT) Turbo Etch time 12 17 20 pump (mins) Rf generator Plate silicon silicon carrier Epitaxial 850 nm 1300 nm structure wafer wafer 22 Chamber contamination → micro-masking - grass formation grass 130 nm Al0.6Ga0.4As grass500 nm GaAs 1800 nm Al0.6Ga0.4As Dry-etch optimization Side wall passivation O2 SiCl :O 4 2 500 nm 15:1 SiCl 4 → SiCl 4−x + Cl x SiCl4 +O2 → SiO2 + mCl4 x = 1,2 23 Parameter control in plasma processes The challenge: to implement a useful and reproducible Excitation frequency Gas flow rate etch-process involves the control of a large number of Excitation power parameters which affect the n , f(e), Geometrical factors e process N, (surface) τ Use of factorial Nature of discharge gas Pumping speed experimental design techniques very useful Consequences Geometrical factors Nature of surface of plasma- (surface) surface interaction Temperature of surface Potential of surface 24 25 Etching profiles in physical etching Ideal result in dry or wet etching is high-fidelity transfer of mask pattern onto substrate, with no distortion of CDs. Ion etching or ion milling do not lead to undercutting of the mask but the walls of an etched cut are not necessarily vertical. Faceting due to angle- Trenching dependent sputter rate Facets in mask Faceting – sputtering creates angles features. An Trenching – ditching due to glancing incidence of ions angled facet (~60°) in the resist propagates as the mask is eroded away. Sloped walls may be created in the underlying substrate 26 Redeposition Backscattering Angular distribution of incident ions Redeposited material Back scattering Angular distribution of ions Redeposition of material sputtered Backscattering is a form of Off-vertical ion trajectories can from bottom of a trench. By tilting redeposition, associated with also be caused by sheath and rotating the substrate during involatile etch products. A fraction scattering and field non- etching, etch profiles can be of sputtered and involatile species uniformities. improved. from the surface is backscattered onto substrate after several collisions with gas species. 27 28 Etch reactor configurations • Barrel etcher • Parallel-electrode (planar) reactors • Hexode etchers (cylindrical batch etch reactors) • Single wafer etchers 29 Loading effects – Uniformity and Nonuniformity Dry-etch – number of radicals in the plasma is in same range as the number of atoms to be removed. Wet-etch – number of etchant molecules might is 105 times higher than the number of atoms to be removed.
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