In the semiconductor manufacturing process, when conducting inductively coupled plasma-reactive ion etching in challenging environments, both wafers and the ceramic components comprising the chamber's interior can be influenced by plasma attack. When ceramic components are exposed to long-term plasma environments, the eroded components must be replaced. Furthermore, non-volatile reactants can form and settle on semiconductor chips, acting as contaminants and reducing semiconductor production yield.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the current and next-generation Si-based semiconductor manufacturing processes, amorphous carbon layer (ACL) hard masks are garnering considerable attention for high-aspect-ratio (HAR) etching due to their outstanding physical properties. However, a current limitation is the lack of research on the etching characteristics of ACL hard masks under plasma etching conditions. Given the significant impact of hard mask etching on device quality and performance, a deeper understanding of the etching characteristics of ACL is necessary.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the semiconductor industry, fluorocarbon (FC) plasma is widely used in SiO etching, with Ar typically employed in the dilution of the FC plasma due to its cost effectiveness and accessibility. While it has been reported that plasmas with other noble gases, namely Kr and Xe, have distinct physical properties such as electron density and temperature, their implementation into plasma etching has not been sufficiently studied. In this work, we conducted SiO etching with FC plasmas diluted with different noble gases, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper proposes a new method for cutoff probe using a nanosecond impulse generator and an oscilloscope, instead of a network analyzer. The nanosecond impulse generator supplies a radiating signal of broadband frequency spectrum simultaneously without frequency sweeping, while frequency sweeping method is used by a network analyzer in a previous method. The transmission spectrum (S21) was obtained through a Fourier analysis of the transmitted impulse signal detected by the oscilloscope and was used to measure the electron density.
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