Feature profile evolution during shallow trench isolation etch in chlorine-based plasmas. I. Feature scale modeling

Abstract

Feature profile evolution during shallow trench isolation etch in chlorine-based plasmas. II. Coupling reactor and feature scale models Modeling of fluorine-based high-density plasma etching of anisotropic silicon trenches with oxygen sidewall passivation J. Appl. Phys. 94, 6311 (2003); 10.1063/1.1621713Deep-submicron trench profile control using a magnetron enhanced reactive ion etching system for shallow trench isolationThe authors developed a cellular based Monte Carlo ͑MC͒ feature scale model capable of direct coupling to the dominant plasma species ratios from a reactor scale model in order to simulate the profile evolution of shallow trench isolation etch in chlorine-based plasmas and its variation from the center to the edge of the wafer. Carefully planned experiments along with scanning electron microscopy ͑SEM͒ were used to calibrate the MC model, where one to two plasma parameters were systematically varied. Simulated feature profiles were found to agree well with experimental observations, capturing details such as microtrenching, faceting, tapering, and bowing. The particle counts used to achieve these fits agreed well with those estimated from SEM, corroborating the chemistry and physics used in the feature scale model. In addition, the feature scale model uses a novel surface representation that eliminates the artificial flux fluctuations originating from the discrete cells used in the simulation and enables a much more precise calculation of the surface normal, which dictates the trajectory of reflected species.

General Feature Profile Simulator FPS-3D

“…One reason, why this case was selected for a demonstration, is because of significant experimental data available for it, see for example (2)(3)(4)(5)7,9,10,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25).…”

Feature profile evolution during shallow trench isolation etching in chlorine-based plasmas. III. The effect of oxygen addition

“…25 In patterned samples, the fraction of the area with Si (as opposed to silicon nitride hard mask) exposed to the plasma is small and is estimated to be well below 15%. 25 In patterned samples, the fraction of the area with Si (as opposed to silicon nitride hard mask) exposed to the plasma is small and is estimated to be well below 15%.…”

Inductively Coupled Plasma Sources and Applications

“…Also developed, though for controlling the planned distribution of plasma density, not to create a narrower gap, is an ICP with an inner and outer coil that enables processing of large semiconductor wafers by independently applying RF power to each coil, as shown in Figure 10 [10].…”