High temperature silicon surface providing high selectivity in an oxide etch process
US6399514B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 24, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 4, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 24, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01F2029/143
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A plasma process for etching oxide and having a high selectivity to silicon including flowing into a plasma reaction chamber a fluorine-containing etching gas and maintaining a temperature of an exposed silicon surface within said chamber at a temperature of between 200° C. and 300° C. An example of the etching gas includes SiF4 and a fluorocarbon gas. The plasma may be generated by a capacitive discharge type plasma generator or by an electromagnetically coupled plasma generator, such as an inductively coupled plasma generator. The high selectivity exhibited by the etch process permits use of an electromagnetically coupled plasma generator, which in turn permits the etch process to be performed at low pressures of between 1 and 30 milliTorr, resulting the etching of vertical sidewalls in the oxide layer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.