A Study of Parameters Related to the Etch Rate for a Dry Etch Process Using NF3/O2and SF6/O2

Abstract

The characteristics of the dry etching ofSiNx:H thin films for display devices using SF6/O2and NF3/O2were investigated using a dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (CCP-RIE) system. The investigation was carried out by varying the RF power ratio (13.56 MHz/2 MHz), pressure, and gas flow ratio. For theSiNx:H film, the etch rates obtained using NF3/O2were higher than those obtained using SF6/O2under various process conditions. The relationships between the etch rates and the usual monitoring parameters—the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) intensity of atomic fluorine (685.1 nm and 702.89 nm) and the voltagesVHandVL—were investigated. The OES intensity data indicated a correlation between the bulk plasma density and the atomic fluorine density. The etch rate was proportional to the product of the OES intensity of atomic fluorine(I(F))and the square root of the voltages(Vh+Vl)on the assumption that the velocity of the reactive fluorine was proportional to the square root of the voltages.