Dry-etch of indium and tin oxides with C2H5I gas
AssigneeApplied Komatsu Technology, Inc.
InventorsHaruhiro Harry Goto, Yuh-Jia Su, Yuen-Kui Wong, Kam S. Law
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An RIE method and apparatus for etching through the material layer of a transparent-electrode (ITO) in a single continuous step at a rate better than 100 .ANG./min and with a selectivity better than 20 to 1 is disclosed. Chamber pressure is maintained at least as low as 60 mTorr. A reactive gas that includes ethyl iodide C.sub.2 H.sub.5 I) is used alone or in combination with another gas such as O.sub.2. Plasma-induced light emissions of reaction products and/or the reactants are monitored to determine the time point of effective etch-through.
Claims24
An etch method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a material layer selected from the group consisting of an indium oxide (InO), a tin oxide (SnO), a mixture of indium and tin oxides, a compound of indium and of tin and of oxygen having the general formulation In.sub.x Sn.sub.y O.sub.z where z is greater than zero but less than 100% and where the sum x+y fills the remainder of the 100%, and a mixture of the preceding ones of said group;
- (b) supplying an input gas including ethyl iodide (C.sub.2 H.sub.5 I) to a vicinity of the material layer;
- and
- (c) applying an electric field to react the supplied input gas with the material layer so as to form a volatile byproduct of said input gas and said material layer.
An etch method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a material layer selected from the group consisting of an indium oxide (InO), a tin oxide (SnO), a mixture of indium and tin oxides, a compound of indium and of tin and of oxygen having the general formulation In.sub.x Sn.sub.y O.sub.z where z is greater than zero but less than 100% and where the sum x+y fills the remainder of the 100%, and a mixture of the preceding ones of said group;
- (b) supplying an input gas including ethyl iodide (C.sub.2 H.sub.5 I) to a vicinity of the material layer;
- and
- (c) applying an electric field in said vicinity for dissociating the supplied input gas to form freed radicals including freed iodide radicals that physically bombard the material layer and react chemically with constituents of the material layer so as to form a volatile byproduct.
A selective etch method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a material layer selected from the group consisting of an indium oxide (InO), a tin oxide (SnO), a mixture of indium and tin oxides, a compound of indium and of tin and of oxygen having the general formulation In.sub.x Sn.sub.y O.sub.z where z is greater than zero but less than 100% and where the sum x+y fills the remainder of the 100%, and a mixture of the preceding ones of said group;
- (b) providing a second material layer adjacent to the first material layer, said second material layer being composed of a material different from that forming the first material layer, the material of the second material layer being substantially less reactive to ethyl iodide (C.sub.2 H.sub.5 I) than is the material of the first material layer;
- (c) supplying an input gas including ethyl iodide (C.sub.2 H.sub.5 I) to a vicinity of the first material layer;
- and
- (d) applying an electric field to react the supplied input gas with the first material layer so as to form a volatile byproduct of said input gas and said first material layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.