Etching Mechanism Based on Hydrogen Fluoride Interactions with Hydrogenated SiN Films Using HF/H2 and CF4/H2 Plasmas

Hsiao, Shih-Nan; Britun, Nikolay; Nguyen, Thi-Thuy-Nga; Sekine, Makoto; Hori, Masaru

doi:10.1021/acsaelm.3c01258

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

2023

DOI: 10.1021/acsaelm.3c01258

|View full text |Cite

Etching Mechanism Based on Hydrogen Fluoride Interactions with Hydrogenated SiN Films Using HF/H₂ and CF₄/H₂ Plasmas

Shih-Nan Hsiao,

Nikolay Britun,

Thi-Thuy-Nga Nguyen

et al.

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2024

2025

Publication Types

Select...

Article5

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent5

Authors

Journals

Cited by 10 publications

References 58 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO₂ by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions

Hsiao,

Sekine,

Britun

et al. 2024

Small Methods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Manufacturing semiconductor devices requires advanced patterning technologies, including reactive ion etching (RIE) based on the synergistic interactions between ions and etch gas. However, these interactions weaken as devices continuously scale down to sub‐nanoscale, primarily attributed to the diminished transport of radicals and ions into the small features. This leads to a significant decrease in etch rate (ER). Here, a novel synergistic interaction involving ions, surface‐adsorbed chemistries, and materials at cryogenic temperatures is found to exhibit a significant increase in the ER of SiO2 using CF4/H2 plasmas. The ER increases twofold when plasma with H2/(CF4 + H2) = 33% is used and the substrate temperature is lowered from 20 to −60 °C. The adsorption of HF and H2O on the SiO2 surface at cryogenic temperatures is confirmed using in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The synergistic interactions of the surface‐adsorbed HF/H2O as etching catalysts and plasma species result in the ER enhancement. Therefore, a mechanism called “pseudo‐wet plasma etching” is proposed to explain the cryogenic etching process. This synergy demonstrates that the enhanced etch process is determined by the surface interactions between ions, surface‐adsorbed chemistry, and the material being etched, rather than interactions between ion and gas phase, as observed in the conventional RIE.

show abstract

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO₂ by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions

Hsiao,

Sekine,

Britun

et al. 2024

Small Methods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Etching mechanism of amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride by hydrogen fluoride

Khumaini,

Kim,

Hidayat

et al. 2024

Applied Surface Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hydrofluoroethane plasma etching of SiN, SiO2, and poly-Si films with CHF2CF3, CF3CH3, and CHF2CH3

Tran,

Hayashi,

Iwayama

et al. 2025

Applied Surface Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Etching Mechanism Based on Hydrogen Fluoride Interactions with Hydrogenated SiN Films Using HF/H₂ and CF₄/H₂ Plasmas

Cited by 10 publications

References 58 publications

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO₂ by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO₂ by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions

Etching mechanism of amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride by hydrogen fluoride

Hydrofluoroethane plasma etching of SiN, SiO2, and poly-Si films with CHF2CF3, CF3CH3, and CHF2CH3

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Etching Mechanism Based on Hydrogen Fluoride Interactions with Hydrogenated SiN Films Using HF/H2 and CF4/H2 Plasmas

Cited by 10 publications

References 58 publications

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO2 by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO2 by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions

Etching mechanism of amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride by hydrogen fluoride

Hydrofluoroethane plasma etching of SiN, SiO2, and poly-Si films with CHF2CF3, CF3CH3, and CHF2CH3

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Etching Mechanism Based on Hydrogen Fluoride Interactions with Hydrogenated SiN Films Using HF/H₂ and CF₄/H₂ Plasmas

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO₂ by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions

Pseudo‐Wet Plasma Mechanism Enabling High‐Throughput Dry Etching of SiO₂ by Cryogenic‐Assisted Surface Reactions