AbstractPlasma etching of GaInAs and AlInAs has been carried out in a system which consists of an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source and an rf-powered stage. Since the ECR source can generate a plasma with low ion energy, dry etching induced damage is expected to be minimal. In this study, Schottky diodes and transmission lines were fabricated on the etched GaInAs surface. The diode and transmission line characteristics were evaluated as a function of etch conditions. For the etching of GaInAs and AllnAs, C12 and Ar were used as the etch gases. In addition to the ratio of the two gases, microwave power, rf power, pressure, and source distance were varied and their effects on etch rate, morphology, and surface damage were analyzed. Etch rate increased monotonically with microwave power, rf power, and C12 percentage. Etch rate decreased with increasing distance and reached a maximum for a pressure of 1 mTorr. The etch conditions for the damage study were chosen to maintain smooth morphology. One of the most important factors influencing damage was the ion energy which can be limited by using low rf power and short source distance. Minimum damage was obtained at 1 mTorr which provides the optimal balance between high etch rate and low ion energy. Besides limiting ion energy, the addition of Cl2 reduced etch-induced damage. The specific contact resistivity and sheet resistivity obtained from transmission line measurements of dryetched n-GaInAs were lower than the wet-etched samples. Schottky diode analysis show reduction in barrier height and breakdown voltage after Ar sputtering. Addition of 10% C12 is sufficient for full recovery of the diode characteristics.
