Preparation and etching processing of planar thin film of Pr~(3+)-doped fluorozirconate glass

摘要

Planar thin-films of a 60ZrF_(4)·35BaF_(2)·5PrF_(3) composition were successfully prepared from Zr(hfa)_(4), Ba(hfa)_(2)(tg), Pr(fod)_(3) and NF_(3) by an electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The films obtained were colorless and amorphous. As etching processing of the prepared thin-film, dry etching was performed using Ar, CF_(4), SF_(6), Cl_(2) and Cl_(2)-BCl_(3) gases. The Ar etching in which no reactive ion-etching is anticipated exhibited the fastest etching rate. Wet etching was also performed using a ZrOCl_(2)-HCl etching solution. The etching rate was extremely fast compared with those of dry etching. In this etching, however, undesirable side-etching occurred. At the present stage, therefore, the most preferable etching processing is dry etching by an Ar gas.