Effects of type of reactor, crystallinity of SiC, and NF3 gas pressure on etching rate and smoothness of SiC surface using NF3 gas plasma

Abstract

Polycrystalline β-SiC and single-crystalline 4H-SiC surfaces were etched by reactive ion etching (RIE) using NF3 gas plasma. A smooth surface was obtained on the polycrystalline SiC after RIE at NF3 gas pressures of 2 and 10 Pa for 10 min, and neither spikes nor pillars were formed on it. On the other hand, some pillars were formed on the single-crystalline SiC surface by RIE at NF3 gas pressures of 2 and 10 Pa. Though the absence of carbon-rich regions and SiOx on the outermost surface before etching was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman analysis, x-ray diffraction analysis revealed that graphite crystallites were present in the single-crystalline SiC bulk. It was concluded that the graphite crystallites acted as masks and the pillars grew up from the graphite crystallites in the single crystalline SiC during RIE.