The Effect of Bias Power on the Etching Rate and Uniformity of Silicon Dioxide for N-Slot Inductively Coupled Plasma in TFT Application

Abstract

The etching in SiO2 is a crucial step in fabricating thin film transistor. For large area etching, high density plasma which independently controls ion energy and ion flux is preferable than conventional RIE etcher for its high etching capability. In an attempt to understand how the bias power of N-slot ICP affects the etching rate and uniformity, we study the correlation among bias power, inductive power, etching rate and uniformity. The results show that the etching rate is proportional to the bias power up to 800 W which has the best uniformity. Beyond that power, the etching rate enters the different slope and the uniformity become worse. This phenomenon might be attributed to the combined effects of resist etching and polymer film growth. For N-slot ICP system, high etching rate and good uniformity can be obtained only when the bias power is in the moderate range.