Laser-Assisted Dry Etching Ablation for Microstructuring of III-V Semiconductors

ABSTRACTLaser-assisted dry etching ablation (LADEA) has been reviewed with an emphasis on its applicability for the microstructuring of III-V semiconductor compounds. The method is based on the application of an excimer laser ( λ= 308 nm) for pulsed heating of a wafer which is placed in a stream of Cl2/He gas. Both the products of chemical reaction and the depth to which a laser-induced reaction takes place depend on laser fluence. This makes possible the ablation of a well defined volume of the material. Little or no structural damage to the surface is observed because ablation is carried out with laser fluences below those required to melt the matrix material. The laser fluence dependence of the etch rate indicates that the process is primarily temperature driven with a characteristic energy for desorption. We have investigated LADEA as a method for in-situ processing of III-V semiconductors and the fabrication of nanostructures. An atomic force microscopy study has shown that atomically smooth surfaces can be obtained if the etch rate is near 1/2 atomic layer per laser pulse. The lateral resolution of LADEA has been found to be at least 20 nm. This, as well as the results of in-situ photoluminescence and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements, indicate that LADEA can be used for the direct (photoresist-free) fabrication of high quality microstructures and, ultimately, for the nanostructuring of III-V semiconductor compounds.

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Photothermally Assisted Dry Etching Of GaN

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-423-157 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 423 ◽

Author(s):

R. T. Leonard ◽

S. M. Bedair

Keyword(s):

Activation Energy ◽

Laser Fluence ◽

Etch Rate ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Sample Surface ◽

Dry Etching ◽

Process Conditions ◽

Ion Damage ◽

Arf Excimer Laser ◽

193 Nm

AbstractPhotoassisted dry etching of GaN in HC1 by 193 nm ArF excimer laser is developed as apotential alternative process to eliminate the ion damage and surface roughness which occur inetching techniques that involve an energetic ion beam impinging the surface. A directed stream ofHC1 etchant with background pressure of ∼ 5 × 10−4 Torr, sample surface temperature between 200 to 400°C, and laser fluence of 10 to 20 mJ/ pulse combine to produce etching. The photoassistedetching reaction under these process conditions is thermal in nature, with activation energy near 1.2kcal/ mol. Increases in laser fluence results in increase of etch rate, but the surface also becomesrougher. Distinct etch features can be produced with smooth surfaces at expense of etch rate.

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Real-Time Monitoring Of GaAs(100) Etching By Surface Photoabsorption

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-406-151 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 406 ◽

Author(s):

Joseph Eng ◽

Hongbin Fang ◽

Chaochin Su ◽

Sujata Vemuri ◽

Irving P. Herman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Constant Temperature ◽

Molecular Beam ◽

Atomic Layer ◽

Dry Etching ◽

Brewster Angle ◽

Real Time Monitoring ◽

Fractional Change

AbstractSurface photoabsorption (SPA) has been applied to monitor, in real time, the surface of GaAs(100) during chemical dry etching by a molecular beam of HCl. Changes in the HCl flux to the surface at a constant temperature (840 K) have been used to induce changes in the Ga:As ratio on the surface. These changes in surface stoichiometry have been detected in situ via SPA measurements of the transient fractional change in the reflectance of p-polarized, 488 nm light that is incident onto the surface near the pseudo-Brewster angle. On the basis of results from prior applications of SPA to the study the atomic layer deposition of GaAs, the changes in the SPA signal as a function of the etching parameters can be correlated with changes in the relative surface densities of Ga and As. The findings are confirmed by independent determinations of the changes in surface stoichiometry made by measuring the time-integrated difference in the fluxes of Ga- and As-containing etching products evolved from the surface as a function of the HC1 flux.

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Alignment of small He-Bubbles during in situ deformation of Al-foils

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100109124 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 396-397

Author(s):

E. Ruedl ◽

P. Schiller

Keyword(s):

Fusion Reactor ◽

Matrix Material ◽

Fusion Reactors ◽

First Wall ◽

Potential Matrix ◽

In Situ Deformation ◽

Α Particles ◽

Metal Aluminium

The low Z metal aluminium is a potential matrix material for the first wall in fusion reactors. A drawback in the application of A1 is the rel= atively high amount of He produced in it under fusion reactor conditions. Knowledge about the behaviour of He during irradiation and deformation in Al, especially near the surface, is therefore important.Using the TEM we have studied Al disks of 3 mm diameter and 0.2 mm thickness, which were perforated at the centre by double jet polishing. These disks were bombarded at∽200°C to various doses with α-particles, impinging at any angle and energy up to 1.5 MeV at both surfaces. The details of the irradiations are described in Ref.1. Subsequent observation indicated that in such specimens uniformly distributed He-bubbles are formed near the surface in a layer several μm thick (Fig.1).After bombardment the disks were deformed at 20°C during observation by means of a tensile device in a Philips EM 300 microscope.

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Atomic Layer Deposition of LiF and Lithium Ion Conducting (AlF3)(LiF)x Alloys Using Trimethylaluminum, Lithium Hexamethyldisilazide and Hydrogen Fluoride

10.26434/chemrxiv.5459653 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Younghee Lee ◽

Daniela M. Piper ◽

Andrew S. Cavanagh ◽

Matthias J. Young ◽

Se-Hee Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lithium Ion ◽

Atomic Layer ◽

Mass Gain ◽

Alloy Film ◽

Ex Situ ◽

X Ray ◽

Layer Deposition ◽

Ion Conducting ◽

Good Agreement

<div>Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of LiF and lithium ion conducting (AlF3)(LiF)x alloys was developed using trimethylaluminum, lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LiHMDS) and hydrogen fluoride derived from HF-pyridine solution. ALD of LiF was studied using in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and in situ quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) at reaction temperatures between 125°C and 250°C. A mass gain per cycle of 12 ng/(cm2 cycle) was obtained from QCM measurements at 150°C and decreased at higher temperatures. QMS detected FSi(CH3)3 as a reaction byproduct instead of HMDS at 150°C. LiF ALD showed self-limiting behavior. Ex situ measurements using X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) showed a growth rate of 0.5-0.6 Å/cycle, in good agreement with the in situ QCM measurements.</div><div>ALD of lithium ion conducting (AlF3)(LiF)x alloys was also demonstrated using in situ QCM and in situ QMS at reaction temperatures at 150°C A mass gain per sequence of 22 ng/(cm2 cycle) was obtained from QCM measurements at 150°C. Ex situ measurements using XRR and SE showed a linear growth rate of 0.9 Å/sequence, in good agreement with the in situ QCM measurements. Stoichiometry between AlF3 and LiF by QCM experiment was calculated to 1:2.8. XPS showed LiF film consist of lithium and fluorine. XPS also showed (AlF3)(LiF)x alloy consists of aluminum, lithium and fluorine. Carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen impurities were both below the detection limit of XPS. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) observed that LiF and (AlF3)(LiF)x alloy film have crystalline structures. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ionic chromatography revealed atomic ratio of Li:F=1:1.1 and Al:Li:F=1:2.7: 5.4 for (AlF3)(LiF)x alloy film. These atomic ratios were consistent with the calculation from QCM experiments. Finally, lithium ion conductivity (AlF3)(LiF)x alloy film was measured as σ = 7.5 × 10-6 S/cm.</div>

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