Catalyzed gaseous etching of silicon
- 1 August 1987
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Applied Physics
- Vol. 62 (3) , 1049-1053
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.339762
Abstract
Traces of copper and silver are shown to accelerate the etching of silicon by molecular fluorine. Copper residue formed by aqueous HF etching of sputter-deposited aluminum (0.5% Cu) produces a 100-fold increase in the etching rate of an underlying (100) silicon, compared to unmetallized samples, at temperatures above 80 °C. Above 180 °C, F2 exhibits a higher absolute etch rate than equivalent concentrations of fluorine atoms. The temperature dependence of the reaction is interpreted in terms of a Cu-CuF(x=1,2) catalytic cycle in which CuF(x=1,2) is the active intermediate. Preliminary results for other gases and metals are presented, and the origin of discrepancies in published rate data for the F2/Si reaction are discussed.This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Etch rate enhancement of silicon in CF4-O2 plasmasApplied Physics Letters, 1985
- Selective interhalogen etching of tantalum compounds and other semiconductor materialsApplied Physics Letters, 1985
- Plasmaless dry etching of silicon with fluorine-containing compoundsJournal of Applied Physics, 1984
- Comparison of XeF2 and F-atom reactions with Si and SiO2Applied Physics Letters, 1984
- The reaction of fluorine atoms with siliconJournal of Applied Physics, 1981
- Acceleration of Plasma Etch Rate Caused by Alkaline ResiduesJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 1981
- Etching and film formation in CF3Br plasmas: some qualitative observations and their general implicationsJournal of Vacuum Science and Technology, 1980
- A solid-liquid-vapor etching processJournal of Crystal Growth, 1968
- Umsetzung von Silicium mit Kupfer(I)‐chlorid. IIZeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie, 1956
- On the Mechanism of the Reaction between Methyl Chloride and Silicon-CopperJournal of the American Chemical Society, 1945