IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Plasma Science Monday Sessions
       Session PS1+MM-MoM

Invited Paper PS1+MM-MoM1
The Challenges of Plasma Etching in MEMs Processing

Monday, October 29, 2001, 9:40 am, Room 103

Session: Science & Technology of Microplasmas and MEMS Processing
Presenter: G.R. Bogart, Agere Systems
Authors: G.R. Bogart, Agere Systems
J.T.C. Lee, Agere Systems
A. Kornblit, Agere Systems
H.T. Soh, Agere Systems
K.E. Teffeau, Agere Systems
F.P. Klemens, Agere Systems
J.F. Miner, Agere Systems
Correspondent: Click to Email
The rapid advancement in semiconductor technology has allowed for the design and manufacture of more complex microelectromechanical systems (MEMs). Tiny gears and simple microchannels have yielded to more complex integrated systems on a single chip. The applications of this new technology span multiple disciplines and accounts for the wider acceptance of these systems in the market place. While there are numerous methods to generate these micromachines, dry etching provides a level of manufacturing control that wet etching cannot deliver. Additionally, processes that were once limited to wet etching are now being asked of dry etching due to the added control. As an example, large ultra-thin membrane generation, while generally limited to wet etch processes, is now a possibility using dry etching techniques. For optical telecommunications components, the use of thin, silicon on insulator (SOI) wafers allows one to easily combine bulk micromachining with surface micromachining to generate well supported free standing structures. The new requirements that are being placed on dry etching processes have created issues that need to be handled in creative ways. Increasing aspect ratios with 90 degree sidewall angle specifications are competing against demands for higher etch rates, uniformity, selectivity, and other processing metrics. This paper will address some of the challenges that lie ahead for dry etching in the MEMs area.