• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.188-189
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• 2007

The etching characteristics of $Al_2O_3$ films using the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) was investigated. The etch gas was the mixture of $BCl_3$ and He. The effect of ICP source and bias powers on etch rate and etch selectivity to polycrystalline Si was investigated in the etch process of $Al_2O_3$. The etch rate of $Al_2O_3$ film was 23nm/min when the source power and bias power were 600W and 60W, respectively. The results also indicated that the etch selectivity to polycrystalline Si could not be enhanced to be higher than 1.0 by changing the ICP source power and bias power, under the experimental conditions used in the present work. Based on plasma parameters extracted from Langmuir probe data, the etching mechanism of $Al_2O_3$ film was discussed in detail.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.56-56
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• 1999

For advanced TFT-LCD manufacturing processes, dry etching of thin-film layers(a-Si, $SiN_x$, SID & gate electrodes, ITO etc.) is increasingly preferred instead of conventional wet etching processes. To dry etch Al gate electrode which is advantageous for reducing propagation delay time of scan signals, high etch rate, slope angle control, and etch uniformity are required. For the Al gate electrode, some metals such as Ti and Nd are added in Al to prevent hillocks during post-annealing processes in addition to gaining low-resistivity($<10u{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$), high performance to heat tolerance and corrosion tolerance of Al thin films. In the case of AI-Nd alloy films, however, low etch rate and poor selectivity over photoresist are remained as a problem. In this study, to enhance the etch rates together with etch uniformity of AI-Nd alloys, magnetized inductively coupled plasma(MICP) have been used instead of conventional ICP and the effects of various magnets and processes conditions have been studied. MICP was consisted of fourteen pairs of permanent magnets arranged along the inside of chamber wall and also a Helmholtz type axial electromagnets was located outside the chamber. Gas combinations of $Cl_2,{\;}BCl_3$, and HBr were used with pressures between 5mTorr and 30mTorr, rf-bias voltages from -50Vto -200V, and inductive powers from 400W to 800W. In the case of $Cl_2/BCl_3$ plasma chemistry, the etch rate of AI-Nd films and etch selectivity over photoresist increased with $BCl_3$ rich etch chemistries for both with and without the magnets. The highest etch rate of $1,000{\AA}/min$, however, could be obtained with the magnets(both the multi-dipole magnets and the electromagnets). Under an optimized electromagnetic strength, etch uniformity of less than 5% also could be obtained under the above conditions.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2002

This study characterizes an oxide etching process in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etching (MERIE) reactor with a $CHF_3/CF_4$ gas chemistry. We use a statistical $2^{4-1}$ experimental design plus one center point to characterize the relationships between the process factors and etch responses. The factors that we varied in the design include RF power, pressure, and gas composition, and the modeled etch responses were the etch rate, etch selectivity to TiN, and uniformity. The developed models produced 3D response plots. Etching of $SiO_2$ mainly depends on F density and ion bombardment. $SiO_2$ etch selectivity to TiN sensitively depends on the F density in the plasma and the effects of ion bombardment. The process conditions for a high etch selectivity are a 0.3 to 0.5 $CF_4$ flow ratio and a -600 V to -650 V DC bias voltage according to the process pressure in our experiment. Etching uniformity was improved with an increase in the $CF_4$ flow ratio in the gas mixture, an increase in the source power, and a higher pressure. Our characterization of via etching in a $CHF_3/CF_4$ MERIE using neural networks was successful, economical, and effective. The results provide highly valuable information about etching mechanisms and optimum etching conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.381.1-381.1
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the deposition behavior and the etch resistivity of plasma polymerized carbon hardmask (ppCHM) film with the variation of process temperature. The etch resistivity of deposited ppCHM film was analyzed by thickness measurement before and after direct contact reactive ion etching process. The physical and chemical properties of films were characterized on the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscope, Raman spectroscope, stress gauge, and ellipsometry. The deposition behavior of ppCHM process with the variation of temperature was correlated refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), intrinsic stress (MPa), and deposition rate (A/s) with the hydrocarbon concentration, graphite (G) and disordered (D) peak by analyzing the Raman and FT-IR spectrum. From this experiment we knew an optimal deposition condition for structure of carbon hardmask with the higher etch selectivity to oxide. It was shown the density of ppCHM film had 1.6~1.9 g/cm3 and its refractive index was 1.8~1.9 at process temperature, $300{\sim}600^{\circ}C$. The etch selectivity of ppCHM film was shown about 1:4~1:8 to undoped siliconoxide (USG) film (etch rate, 1300 A/min).

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.687-692
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• 2011

Hafnium oxide ($HfO_2$) was very advantageous for substitute material of gate on existing transistor. $HfO_2$ has been widely studied due to high contact with polysilicon and thermal stability and also, it is easily etched by using HF solution. In this study, $HfO_2$ and thermal oxide films were etched by wet etch method using chemical etchant. Etch rate of $HfO_2$ and thermal oxide was linearly increased with increasing concentration of HF and temperature but etch rate of $HfO_2$ was higher than thermal oxide due to $H^+$, $F^-$, and $HF_2^-$ ions at below 0.5% concentration of HF. And also, etch selectivity was improved by adding Hydrazine as additive.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.630-636
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• 2006

Scale down of semiconductor gate pattern will make progress centrally line width into transistor according to the high integration and high density of flash memory semiconductor. Recently, the many researchers are in the process of developing research for using the ONO(oxide-nitride-oxide) technology for the gate pattern give body to line breadth of less 100 nm. Therefore, etch rate and etch profile of the line width detail of less 100 nm affect important factor in a semiconductor process. In case of increasing of the platen power up to 50 W at the ICP etcher, etch rate and PR selectivity showed good result when the platen power of ICP etcher has 100 W. Also, in case of changing of HBr gas flux at the platen power of 100 W, etch rate was decreasing and PR selectivity is increasing. We founded terms that have etch rate 320 nm/min, PR selectivity 3.5:1 and etch slope have vertical in the case of giving the platen power 100 W and HBr gas 35 sccm at the ICP etcher. Also notch was not formed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.307-307
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• 2013

초고집적 회로에 적용되는 반도체 소자의critical dimension (CD)이 수 nano 사이즈로 줄어들고 있기 때문에, 다양한 물질의 식각을 할 때, 건식식각의 중요성이 더 강조되고 있다. 특히 $SiO_2$와 같은 유전체 물질을 식각할 때, plasma process induced damages (P2IDs)가 관찰되어 왔고, 이러한 P2IDs를 줄이기 위해, pulsed-time modulation plasma가 광범위하게 연구되어 왔다. Pulsed plasma는 정기적으로 radio frequency (RF) power on과 off를 반복하여 rf power가 off된 동안, 평균전자 온도를 낮춤으로써, 웨이퍼로 입사되는 전하 축적을 효과적으로 줄일 수 있다. 또한 fluorocarbon plasmas를 사용하여 $SiO_2$를 식각하기 위해 Dual-Frequency Capacitive coupled plasma (DF-CCP)도 널리 연구되어 왔는데, 이것은 기존의 방법과는 다르게 plasma 밀도와 ion bombardment energy를 독립적으로 조절 가능하다는 장점이 있어서 미세 패턴을 식각할 때 효과적이다. 본 연구에서는 Source power에는 60 MHz pulsed radio frequency (RF)를, bias power에는 2 MHz continuous wave (CW) rf power가 사용된 system에서 Ar/$C_4$ F8/$O_2$ 가스 조합으로, amorphous carbon layer (ACL)가 hard mask로 사용된 $SiO_2$를 식각했다. 그리고 source pulse의 duty ratio와 pulse frequency의 효과에 따른 $SiO_2$의 식각특성을 연구하였다. 그 결과, duty ratio의 감소에 따라 $SiO_2$, ACL의 etch rate이 감소했지만, $SiO_2$/ACL의 etch selectivity는 증가하였다. 반면에 pulse frequency의 변화에 따른 두 물질의 etch selectivity는 크게 변화가 없었다. 그 이유는 pulse 조건인 duty ratio의 감소가 전자 온도 및 전자 에너지를 낮춰 $C_2F8$가스의 분해를 감소시켰으며, 이로 인해 식각된 $SiO_2$의 surface와 sidewall에 fluorocarbon polymer의 형성이 증가하였기 때문이다. 또한 duty ratio의 감소에 따라 etch selectivity뿐만 아니라 etch profile까지 향상되는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.309-314
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• 1999

The magnetized helical resonator plasma etcher has been built. Electron density and temperature were measured as functions of rf source power, axial magnetic field, and pressure. The results show electron density increases as the magnetic field increases and reached $2\times1012cm^{-3}$,/TEX>. The oxide etch rate and selectivity to polysilicon were investigated as the above mentioned conditions and self-bias voltage. We can obtain the much improved oxide etch selectivity to polysilicon (60 : 1) by applying the external axial weak magnetic field in magnetized helical resonator plasma etcher.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.6-9
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• 2012

In this study, we carried out an investigation of the etching characteristics (etch rate, selectivity to $SiO_2$) of ZnO thin films in $N_2/Cl_2$/Ar inductivity coupled plasma. A maximum etch rate and selectivity of 108.8 nm/min and, 3.21, respectively, was obtained for ZnO thin film at a $N_2/Cl_2$/Ar gas mixing ratio of 15:16:4 sccm. The plasmas were characterized by optical emission spectroscopy. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed the efficient destruction of oxide bonds by ion bombardment. An accumulation of low volatile reaction products on the etched surface was also shown. Based on this data, an ion-assisted chemical reaction is proposed as the main etch mechanism for plasmas containing $Cl_2$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.709-713
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• 2018

To improve the etch rate of $Si_3N_4$ thin film, $H_2SiF_6$ is added to increase etching rate by more than two times. $SiO_3H_2$ is gradually added to obtain a selectivity of 170: 1 at 600 ppm. Moreover, when $SiO_3H_2$ is added, the etching rate of the $SiO_2$ thin film increases in proportion to the radius of the wafer. In $Si_3N_4$ thin film, there is no difference in the etching rate according to the position. However, in the $SiO_2$ thin film, the etching rate increases in proportion to the radius. At the center of the wafer, the re-growth phenomenon is confirmed at a specific concentration or above. The difference in etch rates of $SiO_2$ thin films and the reason for regrowth at these positions are interpreted as the result of the flow rate of the chemical solution replaced with fresh solution.