PROCESS MODELING OF MAGNETRON REACTIVE ION ETCHING (MIE) - APPLICATIONS TO GAAS AND ALGAAS

THIS DOCUMENT DISCUSSES A PROPOSAL TO PERFORM PROCESS MODELING, VIA NUMERICAL SIMULATION, OF MAGNETRON REACTIVE ION ETCHING (MIE) PROCESS WITH APPLICATIONS TO ETCHING OF GAAS, ALGAAS AND OTHER III-IV COMPOUNDS. THE KEY ISSUES ARE UNDERSTANDING OF FLOW DYNAMICS, EFFECTS OF MAGNETIC FIELD ON FLOW DYNAMICS, AND PLASMA KINETICS. MIE PROCESS HAS A LARGE NUMBER OF PARAMETERS. IT IS NOT WELL KNOWN PRESENT HOW VARIOUS SYSTEM PARAMETERS SUCH AS PRESSURE, RF POWER, MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH, FLOW RATE, SYSTEM GEOMETRY, TEMPERATURE AND TYPE OF PLASMA AFFECT ETCH RATE, SELECTIVITY AND VOLTAGE REQUIREMENTS. MIE PROCESS ALSO IS DIFFICULT TO SCALE UP DUE TO COMPLEXITY OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES INVOLVED. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE ABOVE ISSUES, THROUGH NUMERICAL SOLUTIONS TO THE GOVERNING NONISOTHERMAL NAVIER-STOKES AND SPECIES CONTINUITY EQUATIONS. SURFACE REACTION KINETICS FOR THE ETCHING OG GAAS IS INCLUDED.