Simulations and experiments of etching of silicon in HBr plasmas for high aspect ratio features

Abstract

Etching in semiconductor processing typically involves using halides because of the relatively fast rates. Bromine-containing plasmas can generate high aspect ratio trenches, desirable for dynamic random access memory and microelectromechanical system applications, with relatively straight sidewalls. We present scanning electron microscope images for silicon-etched trenches in a HBr plasma. Using a feature profile simulation, we show that the removal yield parameter, or number of neutrals removed per incident ion due to all processes (sputtering, spontaneous desorption, etc.), dictates the profile shape. We find that the profile becomes pinched off when the removal yield is a constant, with a maximum aspect ratio (AR) of about 5 to 1 (depth to height). When the removal yield decreases with increasing ion angle, the etch rate increases at the corners and the trench bottom broadens. The profiles have ARs of over 9:1 for yields that vary with ion angle. To match the experimentally observed etched time of 250 s for an AR of 9:1 with a trench width of 0.135 μm, we find that the neutral flux must be 3.336×1017 cm2 s−1.