Abstract
The etching characteristics of indium tin oxide (ITO) using hydrocarbon based gas with Ar in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etcher were investigated. This study specifically focuses on the comparison of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6) and, propane (C3H8) gases in terms of their effect on the etch rate, etch selectivity, dimensional loss and surface roughness of the etched ITO. The experiments demonstrated that the use of hydrocarbon gases with higher carbon content such as C2H6 and C3H8 resulted in an improved etch rate and selectivity over photoresist (PR). This improvement is attributed to the lower hydrogen content in these gases, which reduces PR etching and thus minimizes PR damage. The increased carbon content in the gas mixture also contributed to more anisotropic etch profiles, lower dimensional loss and reduced surface roughness. Specifically, C3H8 achieved the highest etch rate among the investigated gases. This suggests that these hydrocarbon gases are particularly optimal for the precise patterning required in advanced semiconductor/display technologies . Additionally, the study addressed the challenge in removing etch by-products, composed of indium (In), tin (Sn), and carbon compounds, which are deposited on the chamber walls due to the low volatility. If not removed, the polymers can contaminate the chamber and degrade device performance. These residues were efficiently cleaned using H2/Ar plasmas. The cleaning mechanism involved the formation of more volatile compounds, such as InCxHy and SnHx, which could then be removed from the chamber surfaces.
Published Version
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