Enhanced Etching of Group III-V Semiconductors by Oscillating with SputterEtching and Reactive Ion Etching

摘要

A new etch technique which oscillates between sputter etching and RIE modes ofetching was investigated. Extensive studies for GaAs using a BC13/Ar gas system were performed with standard RIE equipment. The time period and sputter duty cycle are two important factors that were studied in these experiments. Using this cyclic technique, an etch rate of 750 A/min was obtained which is three times our standard RIE etch rate for GaAs. Standard photoresists can be used as masks with this technique and the resulting wall shape is vertical with smooth morphology. Surface analysis was performed to verify that chlorine is forming on the GaAs surface. Preliminary results for InGaAs, InP, and AlGaAs etching are also reported using this new technique.