Si(100) etching by translational energy controlled atomic chlorine beams

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Si(100) etching was investigated using a translational energy controlled atomic chlorine beam. The results were compared with translational-energy-induced molecular beam etching and conventional gas etching. The etch rate was enhanced by increasing the translational energy of the chlorine atoms up to 0.98 eV. The reaction yield of the atomic beam etching was several hundred times greater than that of translational-energy-induced molecular beam etching. The activation energy of the atomic beam etching at a 0.28 eV translational energy was determined to be 0.76±0.16 eV from an Arrhenius plot. It decreased to 0.62±0.09 eV when the translational energy was increased to 0.98 eV. These values were smaller than those for translational-energy-induced molecular beam etching (1.2±0.3 eV) and conventional gas etching (2.7±0.3 eV).