(127d) Reaction Mechanisms in Plasma Etching of High-K Materials

The continuous down-scaling of the microelectronic integrated circuits dictates the implementation of high dielectric constant materials and the corresponding design of plasma chemistry to achieve the etching specificity, selectivity, and anisotropy in the definition of these high-k materials. In this talk, I will discuss the reaction mechanisms in etching hafnium based high-k dielectrics in chlorine-based chemistries and present a generalized etch rate model that accounts for the transition between physical- and ion-enhanced etching in Cl₂ plasmas and the transition between deposition and etching in BCl₃ plasmas, as the ion energy increased.