Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering (한국표면공학회지)

The Korean Institute of Surface Engineering (한국표면공학회)
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A review : atomic layer etching of metals

  • Yun Jong Jang (School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Hong Seong Gil (School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Gyoung Chan Kim (School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Ju Young Kim (Department of Photovoltaic System Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Chang Woo Park (School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Do Seong Pyun (Department of Semiconductor Display Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Ji Yeon Lee (Department of Semiconductor Display Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Geun Young Yeom (School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University)
  • Received : 2024.04.22
  • Accepted : 2024.04.23
  • Published : 2024.06.30
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Abstract

As the limits of semiconductor integration are approached, the challenges in semiconductor processes have intensified. And, for the production of semiconductors with dimensions under a few nanometers and to resolve the issues related to nanoscale device fabrication, research on atomic layer etching (ALE) technology has been conducted. The investigation related to ALE encompasses not only silicon and dielectric materials but also metallic materials. Particularly, there is an increasing need for ALE in next-generation metal materials that could replace copper in interconnect materials. This brief review will summarize the concept and methods of ALE and describe recent studies on potential next-generation metal replacements for copper, along with their ALE processes.

Keywords

References

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