A photoresist pattern is formed on a wafer's surface to be transferred to the layer below it through etching. The material is then selectively removed from the substrate or thin films on it. This must be done with utmost precision; however, progressively smaller geometries, exotic materials and larger wafer sizes sometimes make this easier said than done (Fig. 1). "Dielectric etch poses different demands for FEOL and BEOL," said Brian Shieh, general manager of the dielectric etch division of Applied Materials (Santa Clara, Calif.). "Each has different requirements, which points to the need for the reactor to have the fundamental flexibility to perform well in a variety of applications.". "When dielectric etch is considered," said Michael Mills, director of emerging technology at Dow Chemical (Midland, Mich.), "there probably aren't equipment limitations now or in the near future."
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