Low Bias Voltage Dry Etching of InP by Inductively Coupled Plasma Using SiCl4/Ar

Abstract

We have demonstrated anisotropic and smooth etching of InP by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method using SiCl4/Ar and processing at a high substrate temperature. We measured the etching rate by varying the substrate temperature, process pressure and rf power. Vertical micropillars of InP with smooth etched surfaces were obtained under relatively small dc biases of lower than -50 V. The ICP etching is considered to be useful for low-damage microfabrication of InP systems by optimizing the etching condition.