Reactive ion etching of silica structures for integrated optics applications

Abstract

Reactive ion etching of silica in a hollow cathode reactor using a CHF3/Ar gas mixture has been studied as a function of masking material, rf power, sample temperature, and O2 and CF4 additions. Etch rates in excess of 0.5 μm/min are typically obtained with a selectivity over amorphous silicon and photoresist of more than 10. The sidewall roughness for etching with an amorphous silicon mask is of the order of 0.05 μm, whereas for a photoresist mask, under similar etching conditions, the sidewall roughness is up to 0.1 μm. For the a-Si mask a further improvement in the sidewall roughness down to 0.02 μm can be obtained by adding O2 to the discharge or elevating the sample temperature, however both parameters cause lateral etching of the a-Si mask and therefore linewidth loss. Nonetheless, when using sample temperature as a control parameter, a process window was found which allows smooth sidewalls to be obtained without dimension loss. In the case of O2 additions such a process window was not found. Possible mechanisms accounting for this difference are discussed. Etching in a CHF3/Ar discharge occurs in competition with simultaneous polymer deposition. The polymer deposition rate was measured in areas shielded from ion bombardment. A phenomenological model describing the effects of polymer deposition on etch rates, sidewall slope, and roughness is proposed. This model assumes that a polymer film with different steady-state thickness can form on different etched structure surfaces, as a result of a balance between polymer etching and deposition. The model is used to explain the tendencies in etch rates, profile slope, and sidewall roughness obtained in this study.