Principle:
Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) is a dry etching technology commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics processing. It uses active ions and neutral particles in plasma to react chemically with the surface of the material to remove the material.
Reactive ion etching combines two mechanisms: chemical etching and physical sputtering:
1. Chemical reaction: The active ions and neutral particles produced by the decomposition of active gases (such as chlorine, fluorine, etc.) in the plasma react chemically with the surface of the material to be etched to form volatile by-products, thereby removing the material.
2. Physical sputtering: High-energy ions are accelerated under the action of an electric field and collide with the surface of the material to physically remove atoms from the surface of the material.
Processing Capability:
Process Flow:
1. Sample Preparation: Place the sample to be etched on a pedestal in the etching chamber.
2. Vacuum Treatment: Evacuate the etching chamber to achieve the required low-pressure environment.
3. Gas introduction: Introduce reactive gases, such as carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), oxygen (O2), etc.
4. Plasma excitation: Apply a high-frequency electric field to excite the reactive gas to generate plasma.
5. Etching process: The active ions and neutral particles in the plasma react with the sample surface to etch.
6. Etching termination: After reaching the predetermined etching time or monitoring the required etching depth, stop the etching process.
7. Sample removal: Introduce inert gas, restore normal pressure, and remove the sample.
Application scenarios:
Reactive ion etching is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics processing, including:
Integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing: used to form tiny device structures, such as gates, electrodes, and contact holes.
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS): used to make micromechanical structures, such as microgears, microvalves, etc.
Optoelectronic devices: such as the production of LEDs and lasers.
Advantages:
High anisotropic etching: It can achieve vertical sidewalls and is suitable for the manufacture of high-precision microstructures.
Controllable etching rate: By adjusting process parameters such as gas flow rate, power, etc., the etching rate can be precisely controlled.
Widely applicable materials: A variety of materials can be etched, including silicon, metals, oxides and nitrides.
Etching accuracy:
The accuracy of reactive ion etching mainly depends on the control of process parameters, including etching rate, selectivity, anisotropy, etc. Generally speaking, RIE can achieve submicron or even nanometer etching accuracy. The specific accuracy depends on the following factors:
Etching gas selection: Different gases have different selectivity for materials, which affects the etching accuracy.
Plasma parameters: Such as power, frequency, gas flow rate and pressure, etc., will affect the etching results.
Mask material and pattern: The type of mask and the size of the pattern have a direct impact on the final etching accuracy.
OMeda (Shanghai Omedasemi Co.,Ltd) was founded in 2021 by 3 doctors with more than 10 years of experience in nanpfabrication. It currently has 15 employees and has rich experience in nanofabrication (coating, lithography, etching, two-photon printing, bonding) and other processes. We support nanofabrication of 4/6/8-inch wafers.
