Fluoride gas etching of silicon with improved selectivity
US6290864A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 26, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 18, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 26, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/3081
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The etching of a sacrificial silicon portion in a microstructure such as a microelectromechanical structure by the use of etchant gases that are noble gas fluorides or halogen fluorides is performed with greater selectivity toward the silicon portion relative to other portions of the microstructure by the addition of non-etchant gaseous additives to the etchant gas. An additional discovery is that non-etchant gaseous additives that have a molar averaged formula weight that is below that of molecular nitrogen offer significant advantages over gaseous additives of higher formula weights by causing completion of the etch in a shorter period of time while still achieving the same improvement in selectivity.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.