Hydrogen etching of semiconductors and oxides
AssigneeBell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated
InventorRobert P. H. Chang
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Abstract
Atomic hydrogen, typically produced in a plasma, etches a wide range of materials, including III-V materials and their oxides. GaAs oxide is etched at a faster rate than GaAs, for example, providing significant possibilities for processing integrated circuits and other devices. Silicon is etched preferentially as compared to silicon dioxide or silicon nitride. Native oxides are also conveniently removed by this method prior to other processing steps.
Claims14
A method of making a device including the step of etching a III-V material or at least one oxide comprising at least one III-V element from a device precursor,
- characterized in that said etching is accomplished to a substantial degree by reacting atomic hydrogen with said material or oxide to form a volatile hydride at a temperature below the melting temperature of said material or oxide.
A method of making a device including the step of etching silicon patterned with a layer comprising silicon nitride characterized in that said etching is accomplished to a substantial degree by reacting atomic hydrogen with said silicon to form a volatile hydride at a temperature below the melting temperature of said silicon so that said silicon is etched at a faster rate than said layer comprising silicon nitride.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.