Abstract
A systematic study has been performed of the dry etching characteristics of GaAs, Al0.3Ga0.7As, and GaSb in chlorine-based electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharges. The gas mixtures investigated were CCl2F2/O2, CHCl2F/O2, and PCl3. The etching rates of all three materials increase rapidly with applied RF power, while the addition of the microwave power at moderate levels (150 W) increases the etch rates by 20–80%. In the microwave discharges, the etch rates decrease with increasing pressure, but at 1 m Torr it is possible to obtain usable rates for self-bias voltages ≤ 100 V. Of the Freon-based mixtures, CHCl2F provides the least degradation of optical (photoluminescence) and electrical (diode ideality factors and Schottky barrier heights) properties of GaAs as a result of dry etching. Smooth surface morphologies are obtained on all three materials provided the microwave power is limited to ≤ 200 W. Above this power, there is surface roughening evident with all of the gas mixtures investigated.
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Pearton, S.J., Chakrabarti, U.K., Katz, A. et al. Hybrid electron cyclotron resonance-radio-frequency plasma etching of III–V semiconductors in Cl2-based discharges. Part I: GaAs and related compounds. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 11, 405–422 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01447156
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01447156