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The group "Experimental Physics II - Reactive Plasmas" at the faculty of physics and astronomy at Ruhr University Bochum.

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Plasma sheath tailoring by a magnetic field for three-dimensional plasma etching

Three-dimensional (3D) etching of materials by plasmas is an ultimate challenge in microstructuring applications. A method is proposed to reach a controllable 3D structure by using masks in front of the surface in a plasma etch reactor in combination with local magnetic fields to steer the incident ions in the plasma sheath region towards the surface to reach 3D directionality during etching and deposition. This effect has the potential to be controlled by modifying the magnetic field and/or plasma properties to adjust the relationship between sheath thickness and mask feature size. Since the guiding length scale is the plasma sheath thickness, which for typical plasma densities is at least 10s of microns or larger, controlled directional etching and deposition target the field of microstructuring, e.g. of solids for sensors, optics, or microfluidics. In this proof-of-concept study, it is shown that $\vec{E}\times\vec{B}$ drifts tailor the local sheath expansion, thereby controlling the plasma density distribution and the transport when the plasma penetrates the mask during an RF cycle. This modified local plasma creates a 3D etch profile. This is shown experimentally as well as using 2d3v Particle-In-Cell/Monte Carlo collisions simulation.

FieldValue
Publisher
Authors
Release Date
2024-03-01
Identifier
9a4b378e-3a71-48fc-9024-647ca38792e2
Permanent Identifier (URI)
Is supplementing
Plasma Source Name
Plasma Source Application
Plasma Source Specification
Plasma Source Properties
ICP at 600 W with a 13.56 MHz RF voltage for the etching of silicon and 500 W for the a-C:H etching. Additional 13.56 MHz RF bias-voltage waveform at variable voltage amplitude.
Plasma Source Procedure
The plasma is first ignited and then maintained by the ICP. Bias voltage can be applied after ignition when a stable plasma is reached (typically a few seconds to minutes).
License
Plasma Medium Name
Plasma Medium Properties
For the etching of Silicon: Argon 5 sccm and CF4 1 sccm. For the etching of a-C:H layers: 5sccm Argon and 1 sccm Oxygen
Plasma Target Name
Contact Name
Jüngling, Elia
Plasma Target Properties
Cuttings of an intrinsic silicon wafer (Silicon Materials) and an a-C:H coated silicon wafer are used. The coatings were performed in an ICP with CH4 and Argon. The specifics of the coating are given in the publication.
Plasma Target Procedure
The wafers are cut into square pieces that fit into the sample holder. They are then cleaned and either placed in the sample holder for etching or coated first with the a-C:H layer.
Contact Email
Plasma Diagnostic Properties
The Dektak 6M profilometer from Digital Instruments Veeco Metrology Group is used to obtain the etch profiles. Measurement settings: Range: 65 kÅ; Measuring time 200 seconds
Public Access Level
Public
Plasma Diagnostic Name

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