AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Plasma Science and Technology Division Thursday Sessions
       Session PS-ThP

Paper PS-ThP17
Free-standing Anodic Aluminum Oxide on Silicon Substrate by using Neutral Beam Etching

Thursday, November 3, 2011, 6:00 pm, Room East Exhibit Hall

Session: Plasma Science and Technology Poster Session
Presenter: ChanKyu Kim, Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea
Authors: C.K. Kim, Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea
K.S. Min, Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea
J.S. Oh, Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea
G.Y. Yeom, Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea
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When the Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) is used as the solid mask, compared to the patterning using electron-beam lithography and block co-polymer, the patterning using AAO is cheaper, more reliable, and easier in controlling the size and shape. However, due to the stress at the interface between the aluminum and the substrate, the alumina barrier layer is formed at the bottom of the AAO holes during the formation of AAO and it prevents direct physical and electrical contact to the substrate.

In this work, to study the effect of surface charging on the removal of the barrier layer, the Cl2/BCl3 neutral beam etching has been used and the results were compared with the AAO etched by an ion beam etching. By the neutral beam etching with BCl3 containing gas mixtures, the barrier layer was successfully removed due to the formation of volatile BOxCly during the etching. However, when the barrier layer was etched using the ion beam with the BCl3 containing gas mixtures, even though AAO itself is etched, the barrier layer located near the bottom of the AAO pore was not easily etched due to the charging of the AAO pore similar to the case of conventional reactive ion etching.