E3-222 Micromachining for MEMS Technology

Module- 5

Dry Etching:
Physical and Plasma Etching, RIE, DRIE
Professor K.N.Bhat
Department of CeNSE
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore-560 012
Email : knbhat@gmail.com
Prof. K.N.Bhat

Problems with wet Chemical Etching

(1) Wet chemical etching invariably produces ragged edges because
due to capillary action tends to cause penetration of the liquid
etchant under the pattern defining the film (usually a photo-resist)

(2) Wet chemical etching of thin films such as Polysilicon, metal ,

SiO2, silicon nitride etc are isotropic in nature. Therefore if the
thickness of film being etched is comparable to the minimum lateral
pattern dimension, the undercutting due to such isotropic etching
becomes intolerable as shown below
PR
PR patterned
on SiO2 on Si

After wet chemical

etching of SiO2
using the PR mask

10m

6m
1.0 m

Silicon

Prof. K.N.Bhat

4m

2m

SiO2

Poly etching
Wet Etching with HNA( HF:HNO3 :H2O :: 6:100:40)
Etching time : 3mins to 10 mins
The patterned polysilicon structures were observed using WYKO
surface profiler. Undercutting was observed more aggressive at the
anchor portion and the edges due to sharp corners
Comparison of Wet etching with Dry etching

Prof. K.N.Bhat

Etching Polysilicon with fine geometry such as

shown is difficult with wet chemical Etching
Fixed Poly-Si capacitor plates
Suspension
system

Anchor

ADXL
Accelerometer

Polysilicon Proof Mass

and Moving electrodes

Prof. K.N.Bhat

Dry Etching an alternative to Wet Chemical Etching (WCE)

Dry Etching offers the capability of anisotropic etching in
amorphous, polycrystalline and crystalline to achieve
micron size patterns
It can serve as a replacement to WCE
Dry Etching also eliminates the important manufacturing
problem of handling, consumption and disposal of the
large quantities of dangerous acids and solvents used in
WCE
Dry etching and resist stripping enables stripping
hardened photo resist which served as mask during ion
implantation.
On the negative side, dry etching needs capital intensive
Prof. K.N.Bhat
5
equipment

Dry Etching
Dry

Etching is synonymous with Plasma Etching

because in all the dry etching process a gas plasma of

either chemically inert or chemically active species is used

Plasma is a fully or partially ionized gas composed

of equal number of positive and negative charges
and different unionized

molecules and radicals

Plasma is produced by the collision of electrons

energized by electric field of sufficient magnitude, causing
the gas to breakdown and become ionized.
Prof. K.N.Bhat

Particles in Plasma
Energy
Molecules in Gas
Electrons

Photons

Anions
Cations
Radicals

Vibration
Excited
Molecules

Electronically
Excited
Molecules

Radicals exist in Reactive gas plasma in much higher

concentration than ions , because they generate at
faster rate and they survive longer than ions

Examples of Radicals and reactions in plasma

Radical is an atom or a collection of atoms, which is
electrically neutral .
Radical exists in a state of incomplete chemical bonding ,
making it very highly reactive.
Examples of Radicals are F, Cl, O, H, and CFx (x=1,2 or 3).
In CF4 plasma the most abundant radicals are CF3 and F
Ionization Reaction:
Dissociation Reaction:
Inert Gas ionization

e + Ar Ar + + 2e
8
Prof. K.N.Bhat

Types of Dry Etching Process

There are mainly FOUR types based on the
Etching Mechanism using glow discharge
1.Physical Basis: Sputter Etching (Glow Discharge of

inert gas)

2.Chemical Basis:Plasma Etching (glow discharge of reactive gas)

3.Combination of 1 and 2: Reactive Ion Etching (RIE)

4. Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) : A Special case of RIE

Prof. K.N.Bhat

1(a).Dry Etching Physical Basis: DC Sputter Etching

A glow discharge is a self sustaining type of plasma initiated by
breakdown of heavy inert gas such as argon, by impressing electric
field between two electrodes in a chamber. Gas pressure 20-50 mTorr.
Ionization potential > 15.7eV for Ar. Between x=0 and x=d ionization energy
is 11.5eV< E < 15.7eV. D is the Crookes dark space and has mostly ions .
Argon gas

2 KV

Voltage
across
chamber
200 V

0
Plasma

Before Breakdown
x

After breakdown

d
x
h

V = 2KV

To pump

Target

X= ( 0 to d ) the energy of electrons (11.5eV < E <15.7eV) is less than

ionization potential. Orbital electrons are excited to a higher energy
state for 10-8 Sec and then return to ground state with the emission10of
visible light photons

 Once the gas glow discharge occurs the multiplied electrons reach the
anode and the Ar+ ions bombard the cathode and the substrates which
are placed on it, resulting in sputtering by momentum transfer.
Secondary electrons (about 1 per 10 incident ions) emitted at the
cathode participate in sustaining the glow discharge by ionizing
collisions with argon molecules.
Sputter Etching in a glow Discharge relies predominantly on the
physical mechanism of sputtering. The strongly directional nature of
incident energetic Argon ions allows substrate materials to be removed
in a highly anisotropic manner. Hence, no selectivity between materials.

Note : The source of electrons which initiate the ionization process

for the glow discharge is due to (i) Field Emission from the cathode,
and (ii) Some electrons are always present in gaseous medium due to
cosmic ray stimuli or photoemission.
11
Prof. K.N.Bhat

Limitation of DC Sputtering System

DC Systems can not be used to Sputter insulators:
When

the negatively charged

cathode is bombarded by ions, the
front surface of insulator gets
positively charged and this charge
increases with time of bombardment.

Argon gas

R
V

+ + +
This causes the potential difference
To pump
between the cathode and the anode
to decrease
The glow discharge extinguishes once the potential
difference drops below the sustaining voltage.
In practical systems the time required for the cathode
to acquire this charge is 1 to 10 S.
Prof. K.N.Bhat

12

1(b).Dry Etching Physical Basis: RF Sputter Etching

Using ac voltage to the electrodes, the sputtering process
for insulators is possible provided the frequency is high .
Positive charge accumulated at the target
surface (electrode-A) during the negative
part of the cycle is replaced by electrons
during the positive part of the cycle , so that
net charge accumulated on the insulator

Argon
gas
VB-

during each complete cycle is zero

The duration of the negative cycle on

electrode-A should be less than 1-10 S to

ensure that the glow does not extinguish due
to charging . Hence the signal frequency
should be at least 50KHz to 1 MHz
In

RF
+ V
A
pump

Matching
network

practice most ac glow discharges (sputtering processes,

and plasma /RIE dry etch process) are operated at 13.56 MHz

Self bias voltage VA and the Plasma Potential

During the initial cycles of the signal, more electrons (lighter particle)
are collected by the electrode A (insulating target electrode)
compared to the ions (heavier particle).
As more cycles transpire, the negative charge continues to build up
and the voltage VA keeps increasing till the number of electrons
impinging on the electrode during a full cycle is same as the number
of ions impinging.

If this steady state self bias voltage VA developed between

the glow discharge and the electrode is sufficiently large,
ions will be accelerated strongly enough towards the cathode
(electrode A) to cause etch the target material placed on
the electrode A
14

Prof. K.N.Bhat

The electrode B also my develop such voltage . However this Voltage

VB is small due to charge leakage to the grounded conducting electrode
B . In addition, if the area
of electrode B is large compared to the
area
of electrode A, then the voltage ratios are given by the relation
Electrode A
Matching
network

RF
RF

Electrode B

VP =VB

Theoretical value of
n = 4. Experimentally measured n < 2
VP is called the plasma potential or the sheath voltage. The grounded
electrode is tied to the chamber body. The coupling capacitor C
ensures that the electrons do not leak out even if the target is
conducting . NOTE that in RF Sputtering, the target is placed

on the RF driven electrode (Cathode).

Benefits of sputtering in RF glow discharge

RF glow discharge Can be used for sputter etching and
deposition of both conducting and insulating materials.

RF discharges have shown to be more efficient in

promoting and sustaining plasma discharge. Hence they
can be operated at 2 - 5mTorr, which is lower pressures
than DC glow discharge systems by a factor of about 20
Operation at 4mTorr results in a mean free path of
1.25cm . Thus collision at cathode sheath region are
greatly reduced resulting in highly directed ion beam
Thus operation at lower pressure, results in higher
anisotropic etch characteristics
Prof. K.N.Bhat

16

2. Dry Etching (Chemical Reaction) : Plasma Etching

(Dry Etching Carried out in glow discharge of reactive gas)

The etching gas is selected to generate species which

react chemically with material to be etched and whose
reaction products are volatile.
RF glow discharge produces chemically reactive
species (atoms, radicals and ions) from relatively inert
molecular gas.
Basic Steps taking place in dry etching:
(1)Generation of etchant species in plasma. (2) Diffusion
of the species to the surface of the film. (3) Adsorption.
(4) Reduction . (5) Desorption and diffusion into bulk gas
17
and pump out the volatile products

Examples of reactive species for plasma

etching :
Radical exists in a state of incomplete chemical bonding ,
making it very highly reactive.Examples of Radicals used
in plasma etching are F, Cl, O, H, and CFx (x=1,2 or 3).
(1) F etches Si, and Si3N4.
CF3 etches Oxide.
(2)O Etches photo resist
(3) Cl reacts with Aluminum
to give volatile AlCl3
( usually BCl3 is added to Cl2
because Cl does not react
with Al2O3 )

Plasma Etching (Dry Chemical Etching)

1. Relies on chemical mechanisms for etching
2. Exhibits high selectivity against both mask and
underlying substrate layer.
3. Isotropic because it is purely chemical reaction.
Dry etch processes which rely only on chemical
process are not able to solve the problem of undercutting
associated with wet chemical isotropic etching .
Suitable for photo resist stripping using oxygen plasma
Prof. K.N.Bhat

19

Plasma Reactor
(a) RF excited reactor

Wafers on carrier

Loading port

Pump

Quartz reaction
chamber

RF Power =100-300 Watts

gas

40-50C is sufficient to cause oxidation or burning of

Photo Resist by these radicals
1m thick Photo resist can be ashed in 5- 10 minutes
Prof. K.N.Bhat

20

(b) Modern barrel or tunnel type unit

RF
Gas

wafers
boat

Pump

Perforated shield

Multiple gas inlets are used for uniformity of etching

Conductive mesh (shield) is used for shielding the wafer from
radiation damage and sputtering effects due to ion bombardment
Prof. K.N.Bhat

21

(c) Plasma Etching of Silicon

The gases adopted for plasma etching process are
selected on the basis of their ability to form reactive
species in a plasma.
SF6 or CF4 are used for dry etching of Silicon
Free radical dissociated from SF6 or CF4 is mainly
responsible for silicon etching.
These radicals react with Silicon and lead to volatile
product SiF4 which is pumped out to exhaust
where
Prof. K.N.Bhat

22

Planar Plasma Etching system

Areas

of the two electrodes

are equal and hence V2 is
small
Substrate to be etched is
placed on the grounded
electrode.

This situation is purely

dry chemical etching and
hence isotropic Etching .

CF4

RF

V1
Plasma glow

Substrate

V2

Pump + Exhaust

NOTE: (1) When a glow discharge of CF4 is created, it is not the CF4
molecules themselves that participate in the etching mechanism. Instead
etching is accomplished by F radical species which are created by
dissociation of CF4 molecules.
(2) Molecular F2 reacts spontaneously with Si but leaves a pitted rough surface

Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

(PECVD) system configuration same as the Plasma Etching system.
(1)The substrate is placed on
bottom electrode heated to
200-300C
(2)RF power is applied to the
top electrode.
(3) Deposition of Si or SiO2 or
SixNy or SiOxNy is determined
using appropriate gases at the
input.
(4) Deposition Pressure in the
range 200 - 300 mTorr

Gas intet

RF

V1
Plasma glow

Substrate

V2

Pump +
Exhaust

3.Dry Etching Reactive Ion Etching

Combined effect of chemical reaction and physical
bombardment in a glow discharge plasma
Anode A of area
Argon and
CF4 Gas inlet (Chamber wall )
_
Va
+
Plasma glow
+
Vc
Substrate
To Pump
& Exhaust

Cathode,C
of area AC

Electrode A is the
chamber wall and its area
is large compared to
cathode electrode C.
C is the RF driven and A
is grounded

RF Electrical
Insulation

n is between 1 and 2

Etching occurs due to the combined effect of ion

bombardment and the reaction of the radicals with the
substrate material

RIE is the combined Effect of Reactive gas and

energetic Ar ions (450eV) (Experimental Illustration)
(2) XeF2 + Ar+ ion beam with an energy
450eV directed at Silicon. Etch rate
enhanced 10 times that with XeF2 alone
(2)
(3) Ar+ ion beam alone
directed at the Si
surface. Smallest etch
rate of three processes

60

Silicon
Etch rate
(/min) 40
20

(1)
0

(3)
200

(1) XeF2 gas only

(No plasma)

400
600
Time (Seconds)
Prof. K.N.Bhat

800

Ref: J.W Coburn,

J.Appl. Phys. Vol
50, P3189, 1979
26

Energetic ions assist in enhancing directional

etching Process produced by reactive gas
(1) Relatively high energy
impinging ions ( > 50eV) produce
lattice damage at the surface
being etched. These damages
extend several mono layers
beneath the surface. Reaction at
these damaged sites is
enhanced compared to reaction
at the sidewalls where no
damage has occurred, because
the sidewalls receive much
smaller flux of bombarding
energetic ions.

(2) However if the sidewalls are

not protected, the lateral etching
will still be present. If the etching
gas is a fluoro carbon like the CF4
or C4F8 (Octafluorocyclobutane) ,
non volatile polymer layers that
deposit on the Vertical surfaces
which are not struck by the ions
retain their blocking layer, and
hence protect against etching by
the reactive gas

Halogen compounds: considered

Fluorocarbon carbons and chlorocarcons: They
have a tendency to form polymeric products in
plasma environment
These polymers land on substrate and prevent
desorption of reaction products so that etch reactions
could be arrested.
Ion bombardment serves to remove to remove these
species, then allowing the reaction to continue.
If the beam is well directed , it will be ineffective in
removing polymers from the sidewall.
This leads to highly anisotropic etching with minimum
undercutting.
Prof. K.N.Bhat

28

 The extent of side wall passivation is related

to the carbon : halogen ratio in the fluorocarbon

Gases such as CF4, C2F6 and C4F8 are used to
adjust this ratio
A large

self bias and a reduced system

pressure both result in improvements in
anisotropy by increasing the intensity of
directed bombardment
Prof. K.N.Bhat

29

Dry Etching of Silicon , SiO2 and Si3N4

Several Fluorocarbons (CF4, C2F6 and CHF3) are used.
CF4 is very popular because of its stability.
The F-radical is the primary active species which etches
silicon by converting to SiF4 which is a stable volatile
reaction product.

SiF2 does not readily desorb since it is chemically bonded to the wafer.
Impinging F atoms penetrate this layer and attack subsurface Si-Si
bonds until` an SiF4 entity is formed. This can desorb with minimum
energy since no more bonds connect it to silicon
Prof. K.N.Bhat

30

Dry Etching of SiO2

CF3 species are responsible for etching of SiO2 .
Energetic ions provide energy to carbon in the CF3 to
force it to react with oxygen released from the SiO2 to
form CO and COF2. Next, the F atoms replace the
oxygen sites in SiO2 with F atoms to ultimately form
SiF4 which easily desorbs from the SIO2 surface

Prof. K.N.Bhat

31

Dry etching of Si3N4

Etching of silicon nitride films occurs by the
direct reaction of F with the nitride

Prof. K.N.Bhat

32

Dry Etching in a gas mixture of H2 and CF4

This reaction reduces the F density , causing a

reduction in Si Etch rate
But the SiO2 etch rate does not fall much because
CF3 radicals responsible for this reaction are
available in plenty
Prof. K.N.Bhat

33

Selectivity between Si and SiO2 is necessary

so that at the end of SiO2 etching , the RIE does

not etch Si
It is also necessary to prevent Photo resist from

getting etched.
It is possible to use a CF4 H2 gas mixture or
CHF3 gas for achieving selectivity between Si,
SiO2 and Photo resist
Photo resist
SIO2

Silicon
Prof. K.N.Bhat

34

Effect of addition of H2 to CF4 gas plasma on

the etch rates of Si , SiO2 and photo resist
RF Power = 0.26W/cm2
Pressure = 4.7Pa
Flow rate = 28sccm

60
50
40

Etch rate
nm/ min 30

AZ 1350 B

20

SiO2

Si

10
0

10
20
30
40
Percentage H2 in CF4
Prof. K.N.Bhat

Reference:
S.K.Ghandhi,
VLSI
Fabrication
Principles, 2nd
edition, John
Wiley and
sons, 1994,
page 633

50
35

It is possible to use a.CF4 H2 gas mixture or CHF3

(trifluoro-methane) gas for achieving selectivity
between Si, SiO2 and Photo resist
The introduction of H2 into the system results in
subsidiary reaction ,
This suppresses the fluorine concentration and
hence the etch rate of Si.
The strong reducing character of CF3 ensures that
SiO2 etch rate does not fall with he addition of H2
Etch rate of SiO2 / Etch rate of Si equal to 35 has
been achieved
Prof. K.N.Bhat

36

Effect of Bias voltage on RIE Etch profile and anisotropy

Rx and Rz are etch rate in x and z directions
Silicon
Etch
rate

Without H2

With 10% H2
RzH

Rx
0

Silicon
Rz0
Etch
RzH
Rate
VB =-150V

Rz0

- 50 -100 -150 -200

Rx
0
10
VB =0

Bias voltage VB (volts)

20

30
H2 % in CF4

x
Mask

Mask

zH

z0

Silicon

Silicon

VB = -150V, H2 =0

Prof. K.N.Bhat

VB=-150V, H2 =10% 37

 Silicon Etch rate , Rx in the lateral direction x is

finite if H2 = 0 in the CF4 gas . Vertical etch rate is Rz0
due to bias voltage and field in the z-direction. z0 > x
By adding 10% H2 to CF4 the etch rate in the x
direction can be reduced to zero.
Addition of H2 reduces the vertical etch rate also. (eg)
with 10% H2 It is zH .As shown in the figure zH <z0 ,
where z0 is the vertical etch depth in CF4 with H2 = 0 and
bias voltage =-150V
Thus by choosing CF4 with suitable H2 percentage
(alternately by choosing CHF3 ) the lateral etch can be
minimized and the anisotropy can be improved
Prof. K.N.Bhat

38

RIE Systems with ICP plasma source

solenoidal
MFC

planar

MFC

Pressure Range 0.1 ... 20 Pa Power range 100W..1200W

Plasma Density up to 1012 /cm3 . Min. Ion Energy 10 eV.
With the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), high plasma
density can be achieved and the RIE Power can be
independently controlled to adjust the bias
39

Load Lock system in the PECVD and RIE systems

Load Lock system

Rotary Pump
(Dry pump)

Main Chamber

Turbo pump
(High speed pump)
+ dry rotary pump

To Scrubber
and vent

End Point Detection (EPD) System

EPD schemes are important to
terminate the etch procedure at the
precise point when the entire film
(SiO2) has been removed as shown in
the figure (b). There are mainly three
techniques:
(1)Monitor Optical reflectivity of the
surface as the film is removed
(2) Measure the film thickness during
the etch process using optical
interference pattern
(3) Measure the change in the optical
emission during the plasma etching
using Optical spectrometer (eg) when
Si is etched emission =777nm due
to the etch product SiF

Photo resist
SIO2
Fig.(a)

Fig.(b)

Silicon
SIO2
Silicon

In some cases, when the

etched material changes, the
shift of the color is so strong
that you can see it with your
eyes trough the window of the
plasma chamber. In order to
measure the light emission
from the plasma, it is possible
to use an optical spectrometer.

Species and Emission Wavelength for

Optical End Point Detection
Film

Species
Monitored

Wavelength (nm)

Resist

CO
OH
H

297.7, 483.5, 519.8

308.9
656.3

Silicon, PolySi F
SiF

704
777

Silicon Nitride

F
CN
N

704
387
674

Al

AlCl
Al

261.4
396

Prof. K.N.Bhat

42

Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)

Processes

designed specifically for deep etches into

silicon are called DRIE
Two approaches (1) Cryogenic Process.
(2) Bosch Process
They differ from each other in some parts of the setup.
But both use Inductively coupled plasma (ICP)
ICP is used to create a magnetic envelope inside the
etch chamber, which reduces the loss of charged
particles to the surroundings and helps to achieve and
maintain a higher plasma density.
Prof. K.N.Bhat

43

 ICP systems generally have better uniformity, better

selectivity to mask layers, higher etch rates and they
provide the opportunity to achieve deeper etches
maintaining the anisotropy compared to RIE.
On all counts, Inductively Coupled Plasma deep RIEs
perform better than traditional parallel plate RIE when
etching silicon .
ICP DRIE systems with Bosch process and Cryogenic
process are commercially available
Prof. K.N.Bhat

44

Cryogenic DRIE
Cryogenic DRIE uses a setup much like that of a standard
RIE with parallel plates.
However the stage for the wafer is cooled much more
efficiently and to much lower temperatures (with helium ).
Cooling the substrate lowers the surface mobility of
reactive ions. This ensures that the ions hitting the target
do not migrate. This leads to very little etching of sides of
the trench at cryogenic temperatures. Higher anisotropy is
therefore achieved
Prof. K.N.Bhat

45

Bosch DRIE
Bosch DRIE uses cycles of etching and sidewall
passivation.
The cycle time is 5- 30 seconds. The cycles result in
uneven etching of sidewall, creating scallops as
shown
+Ion
F Radical

Silicon
wafer

Volatile product

Side wall
Scallops

Photoresist
Silicon

The Bosch
process is named
after the company
where it was
invented

Polymer layer on the sidewall

The size of scallops depend on the cycle time. Typical

scallop depths are 100 -200 nm.
Prof. K.N.Bhat

46

Etching and passivation chemistry for Bosch Process

SF6 is used for etching. A negative bias

(- 5 to 30 V ) is developed at the substrate

during etching.

Neutral

+ Volatile
Ion
Product

C4F8 (Octa-fluoro-cyclo-butane) is used

for coating (passivating) all exposed
surfaces (sidewalls and horizontal
surfaces) with Teflon-like polymer layer of
thickness approximately 50 nm.

PR
Polymer coating

Ion bombardment with a small applied

bias voltage is used during the
polymerization step, to prevent polymer
formation on horizontal surfaces.
Prof. K.N.Bhat

47

DRIE Characteristics
Silicon

Etch rate of 2 to 5 m / minute can be easily

achieved.
Maximum etch rates of 20 m / minute in Silicon have
been reported using Photo-resist mask .
Etch depths of the order of 500 m 1000 m can be
obtained
Aspect ratio of up to 30:1 and better can be achieve 1
Photo

resist selectivity of 50:1, and

30
SiO2 selectivity of 120 to 200:1, with
silicon have been achieved due to the high plasma
density of 1011 -1012 per cm3 which is about two orders of
magnitude higher than that in the conventional RIE
systems

Combination of surface micromachining and RIE for

realizing accelerometer structures of polysilicon
Suspension
system

Fixed Poly-Si
capacitor plates
Anchor

ADXL
Accelerometer

Polysilicon Proof
Mass and Moving
electrodes

Prof. K.N.Bhat

49

Example of 3D structures using SFB and DRIE Etching

Pattern and Etch

first Si wafer
Bond second wafer
by SFB (Silicon Fusion
Bonding) or Eutectic
bonding
Pattern with PPR

Etch through the

pattern by DRIE
Prof. K.N.Bhat

50

Summary
Combination of Surface micromachining and RIE can
be used to realize polysilicon structures and devices
such as accelerometers
Addition of hydrogen enhances the anisotropy in RIE
and DRIE
Three Dimensional structures with high aspect ratio can
be realized using silicon DRIE and wafer bonding
technique

Prof. K.N.Bhat

51