Plasma etching
AssigneeSPTS Technologies Limited
InventorsAlex Wood, Kevin Riddell, Huma Ashraf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An additive-containing aluminium nitride film containing an additive element selected from Sc, Y or Er is plasma etched through a mask for a period of time, t, with a plasma formed in a gaseous atmosphere having an associated gas pressure while an RF bias power is applied to the additive-containing aluminium nitride film. The gas pressure is reduced and/or the RF bias power is increased for a majority of the period of time t, so that the plasma etching becomes less chemical and more physical over a majority of the period of time, t.
Claims18
A method of plasma etching an additive-containing aluminium nitride film comprising:
- plasma etching an additive-containing aluminium nitride film containing an additive element selected from Sc, Y or Er through a mask with a plasma formed in a gaseous atmosphere having an associated gas pressure while an RF bias power is applied to the additive-containing aluminium nitride film during a first phase;
- and
- plasma etching the additive-containing aluminium nitride film through the mask for a period of time, t, during a second phase immediately after the first phase with the plasma formed in the gaseous atmosphere while the RF bias power is applied to the additive-containing aluminium nitride film, wherein the gas pressure is reduced and/or the RF bias power is increased relative to the first phase for a majority of the period of time t, so that the plasma etching becomes less chemical and more physical relative to the first phase over the majority of the period of time, t.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.