A PROCESS MODEL AND COMPLEMENTARY EXPERIMENTS FOR THE ELETRON CYCLOTRON RESONANCE (ECR) TECHNOLOGY: APPLICATION TO DEPOSITION AND ETCHING

THIS PROPOSAL DECRIBES A PROGRAM TO DEVELOP A PROCESS MODEL FOR THE ELECTRON CYCLOTRON TECHNOLOGY (ECR). A COMPEMENTARY EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM IS ALSO PROPOSED. ECR IS RECEIVING MUCH ATTENTION IS PLASMA PROCESSNG WITH APPLICATIONS TO DEPOSITION AND ETCHING. IT ALLOWS DEPOSITION OF DIELECTRIC AND OTHER THIN FILMS AT LOW TEMPERATURES. IN ETCHING, ECR OPERATES AT PERSSURES BELOW 1MTORR TO PERMIT ANISOTROPIC ETCH OF EXTREMELY FINE FEATURES WITH LOW RESIDUAL DAMAGE. AS THE TECHNOLOGY IS AT ITS EARLY STAGES, A THROUGH UNDERSTANDING IS NEEDED TO ASCERTAIN THE UTILITY OF ECR IN DEVICE FABRICATION EFFORTS. THE MODEL PROPOSED IN PHASE I WILL PROVIDE DEPOSITION AND ECH RATES AS FUNCTION OF SYSTEM PARAMETERS. THE MODEL WILL BE DEMONSTRATED FOR THE ECR DEPOSITION OF SILICON MITRIDE AND ECR ETCHING OF GAAS. THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM WILL INVOLVE DIAGNOSTICS OF THE PLASMA, ANALYSIS OF THE WAFER SURFACE AND EVALUATION OF THE FILM QUALITY (DEPOSITION) OR ETCHED SURFACE DAMAGE. THE COMBINED MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM IS EXPECTED TO AID IN DEVELOPING USEFUL ECR PROCESSES, EXPLORE LIMITATIONS IF ANY AND SUGGEST APPLICATIONS IN DEVICE FABRICATION. THE PROPOSED EFFORT IS AN OUTGROWTH OF A SIMILAR PROGRAM ON MAGNETRON ETCHING CONDUCTED BY THE PROPOSER FOR THE U.S. ARMY.