Methane/hydrogen-based reactive ion etching of InAs, InP, GaAs, and GaSb

Werking, J.; Schramm, J.; Nguyen, C.; Hu, Evelyn L.; Kroemer, H.

doi:10.1063/1.105046

Cited by 44 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…CH 4 /H 2 plasmas [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] have also been used as etchants for InP ever since they were first introduced by Niggebrugge and co-workers. 1-12 Due to the low volatility of indium chlorides, it is necessary to increase substrate temperatures ͑i.e., to above about 200°C͒ to prevent severe surface roughening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP using CH4/H2 and CH4/H2/N2

Chen

Ruda

2002

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP in CH 4 /H 2 and CH 4 /H 2 /N 2 gas mixtures was studied to understand the etching mechanisms and the influence of etching gas composition on etching rate, etching profile, and surface morphology. CH 4 /H 2 plasmas generally had higher etching rates than CH 4 /H 2 /N 2 plasmas. Deterioration of InP surfaces, following etching, reflected the preferential loss of P over In due to the diffusivity and reactivity of H being higher than CH 3 on InP surfaces, and also since PH 3 is more volatile than In(CH 3 ) 3 . In extreme circumstances, this can lead to the formation of In-rich droplets on the surface, with associated surface roughening. This was supported by the opposing trends of surface roughness ͑measured using atomic force microscopy͒ and P/In ratio ͑from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy͒ as a function of the CH 4 gas concentration for CH 4 /H 2 gas mixtures. The addition of N 2 to the CH 4 /H 2 plasmas improved the surface morphology as N radicals reduced the rate of P removal by reacting with H radicals. However, an inevitable increase in the N ϩ and N 2 ϩ concentrations led to erosion of the SiO 2 masks and caused sloping sidewalls.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP using CH4/H2 and CH4/H2/N2

Chen

Ruda

2002

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…8 To remove the polymer formed on the masked areas during etching, the sample was then exposed to an oxygen plasma generated by a bias voltage of Ϫ500 V, a flow rate of 20 sccm, and a pressure of 125 mTorr, for 1 min. For the RIE samples, the chamber was conditioned prior to the etch by running the plasma under the same conditions as the etch process: 10 min at Ϫ500 V, 75 mTorr, and flow rates of 4/20/10 sccm for the CH 4 /H 2 /Ar gases, respectively.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of improved regrown material on InP surfaces etched with methane/hydrogen/argon

1996

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Quantum dots fabricated in InP/InGaAs by free Cl2 gas etching and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition regrowth J.In this work, we study the hydrogen introduced into InP during methane/hydrogen/argon reactive ion etching ͑RIE͒ to determine its effect on metalorganic chemical vapor deposition regrowth. We replace hydrogen with deuterium and confirm that deuterium is introduced into the substrate during methane/deuterium/argon RIE with secondary ion mass spectrometry. During regrowth, the deuterium diffuses from deep within the material and clusters at the regrowth interface, strongly indicating the presence of defects. To further understand the role of hydrogen, we investigate the separate effects of ion damage and hydrogenation on subsequent regrowth. We find that photoluminescence of regrown quantum wells is greatly improved on argon ion damaged substrates which have been additionally exposed to hydrogen at Ϫ150 V for 3 min. These experiments illustrate that hydrogen interacts with defects in InP, preventing their propagation during regrowth, and improving the photoluminescence quality of regrown quantum wells.

show abstract

“…6 We used the MHA RIE system that is described in previous experiments by Werking et al 7 The chamber and samples were ''seasoned'' by running the plasma at a bias voltage of Ϫ200 V for 3 min, and the etch was done at Ϫ500 V for 18 min at 75 mTorr and flow rates of 4/20/10 sccm for the CH 4 /H 2 /Ar gases, respectively. Samples were patterned with a 1500 Å silicon dioxide mask and then etched 1-1.5 m deep with one of these four methods: ͑1͒ a wet etch in HCl:H 3 PO 4 ͑1:3͒, ͑2͒ reactive ion etching ͑RIE͒ using methane/hydrogen/argon ͑MHA͒, ͑3͒ thermal etching in gaseous chlorine, and ͑4͒ radical beam ion beam etching ͑RBIBE͒ in a chlorine ambient.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of InP etched surfaces using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition regrown quantum well structures

Yu¹

1995

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Articles you may be interested inInvestigation of improved regrown material on InP surfaces etched with methane/hydrogen/argon J.Structure and formation mechanisms of AlGaAs V-groove vertical quantum wells grown by low pressure organometallic chemical vapor deposition InGaAs quantum wires grown by low pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on InP V-grooves Appl.We have studied a wide variety of wet and dry etching methods for InP substrates and subsequent surface treatments in preparation for regrowth. To evaluate these processes, a multiple quantum well heterostructure consisting of InGaAs quantum wells of varying widths was regrown on these etched surfaces by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. This heterostructure was chosen so that we could use low temperature photoluminescence to determine etch damage propagation from the surface. We have found that the photoluminescence intensity of regrown quantum wells close to CH 4 /H 2 /Ar reactive-ion-etched surfaces is greater than for quantum wells grown the same distance from wet etched surfaces. This technique provides isolation of the characteristics of the etch and clean-up procedure.

show abstract

Methane/hydrogen-based reactive ion etching of InAs, InP, GaAs, and GaSb

Cited by 44 publications

References 11 publications

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP using CH4/H2 and CH4/H2/N2

Inductively coupled plasma etching of InP using CH4/H2 and CH4/H2/N2

Investigation of improved regrown material on InP surfaces etched with methane/hydrogen/argon

Analysis of InP etched surfaces using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition regrown quantum well structures

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About