AVS 50th International Symposium
    Electronic Materials and Devices Tuesday Sessions
       Session EM+SC-TuP

Paper EM+SC-TuP5
A Study of Silicon Carbide (SiC) Etching Characteristics using Magnetized Inductively Coupled Plasmas (MICP)

Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 5:30 pm, Room Hall A-C

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: H.Y. Lee, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Authors: H.Y. Lee, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
D.W. Kim, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Y.J. Sung, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, South Korea
G.Y. Yeom, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Correspondent: Click to Email
SiC is an attractive material for electronic devices operating at high power levels and high temperatures. In addition, the large Si-C bonding energy makes the components made of SiC resistant to chemical attack and radiation, and thus attractive for the applications in harsh environments. SiC is also used as a substrate for microelectromechanical system(MEMS) and GaN epitaxial devices due to its excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. However, due to its stability and inertness of SiC in conventional acid or base solutions at normal temperatures, plasma-based etching plays a important role in patterning SiC for the fabrication of electronic devices. Optimum etch strategies for the fabrication of these devices demand excellent profile control, low ion-induced etch damage, smooth etch surfaces, and high etch rates. In this article we report on the SiC etching in SF6 based discharges and the etch selectivity of SiC over various mask materials to obtain high etch rates and low surface damages. The etch characteristics such as etch rates, etch selectivities, and etch profiles in addition to the plasma characteristics were investigated as functions of source power, and dc bias voltage to the substrate, gas mixtures and applied external magnetic field strength.