Extraction of negative ions from pulsed electronegative capacitively coupled plasmas

Abstract

Charge buildup during plasma etching of dielectric features can lead to undesirable effects, such as notching, bowing, and twisting. Pulsed plasmas have been suggested as a method to achieve charge-free plasma etching. In particular, electronegative plasmas are attractive as the collapse of the plasma potential during the after-glow period of pulsed capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) can allow for extraction of negative ions into the feature. The extraction of negative ions in the after-glow of pulsed CCPs sustained in CF4 containing gas mixtures is computationally investigated. In this paper, the consequences of pulse frequency and gas chemistry on negative ion flux to the wafer are discussed. A low negative ion flux to the wafer was observed only in the late after-glow period of low pulse frequencies. The negative ion flux was found to significantly increase with the addition of highly electronegative gases (such as thermally attaching Cl2) even at a high pulse frequency of 10 kHz. As the production of negative ions during the after-glow diminishes, alternative strategies to enhance the flux were also pursued. The flux of negative ions was found to increase by the addition of a pulsed dc voltage on the top electrode that is 180° out-of-phase with the rf pulse.