Abstract
NF3 plasma etching is used for dry cleaning of reactors after plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon from SiH4. The NF3 plasma chemistry, in a closed isothermal plasma box with silicon coated walls, is analyzed by mass spectrometry of gases. Silicon is etched as SiF4 by F atoms produced in the NF3 dissociation into F+NF2, or 2F+NF. The NF radicals recombine as N2 +2F whereas the long-lived NF2 radicals do not react with Si, but recombine as N2F4 This is the main limitation (or fluorine conversion into SiF4. The pressure increase at the end point of etching is attributed to the sudden increase of F atom concentration in the gas phase and the consequent recombination q( F atoms as F2.
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Perrin, J., Méot, J., Siéfert, JM. et al. Mass spectrometric study of NF3 plasma etching of silicon. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 10, 571–587 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01447265
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01447265