Ion/Neutral Beam Assisted Etching of Semiconductors: Chemical Modifications of the Adsorbed Phase

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses the fundamental aspects of etching semiconductors with inert gas beams in the presence of a suitable precursor gas. In particular, the changes that an energetic bombarding ion/neutral species cause to the surface and sub-surface region of a solid are considered, both in terms of the introduction of damage to the semiconductor and chemical processes that are provoked in the adsorbed states present. The implications for practical etching reactions are then discussed.