Reactive ion etching of trenches in 6H-SiC

Abstract

In this paper, we report the reactive ion etching (RIE) of trenches in 6H-silicon carbide using SF6/O2. The plasma parameters: etchant composition, gas flow rate, chamber pressure, and radio frequency power were optimized to obtain a maximum etch rate of 360A/min. The etch rate of SiC was found to exhibit a direct correlation with the dc self bias except when the O2 percentage was varied. Trenches were fabricated using the optimized conditions. It was found that the trench surface was extremely rough due to the aluminum micromasking effect. To overcome this effect, a TeflonTM sheet was used to cover the cathode during the experiment. The trenches fabricated using this modification were found to have smooth etched surfaces and sidewalls. The angle of anisotropy of these trenches was approximately 80° which is suitable for device applications.