Plasma jet dry etching using different electrode configurations

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Abstract
Recently a high-rate dry-etching technique, the Plasma Jet, has been presented. An active gas, SF6, and a carrier gas, Ar, are passed through a cylindrical electrode ending in a nozzle. By applying rf power to the electrode a hollow cathode discharge is created inside the nozzle. The reactive gas will be effectively dissociated and a high concentration of reactive species will be formed. The formed species will be blown out at supersonic speed through the nozzle and enter the processing chamber in a jet-like manner. Thus there will be a very high concentration of reactive particles in front of the nozzle. Etch rates magnitudes larger than obtained in conventional etch systems can be achieved by exposing a silicon substrate to this high concentration of reactive species. Etch rates as high as 0.5 mm/min have been observed. Originally the Plasma Jet created a circular etch crater with a diameter of about 2–3 mm. This etched area is not satisfactory for most applications. We have investigated a number of new electrode configurations for the nozzle exhaust. Processing parameters, important for the etch rate, have been studied for these new nozzle configurations. It is shown that the flow of argon and the reactive gas SF6 drastically influences the operating conditions of the discharge. The shape of the nozzle is also very important for the performance of the plasma jet.

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