Ion-Assisted Surface Processing of Electronic Materials

Summary

We have discussed the ion-assisted processing of electronic materials in terms of three classes of surface processes—etching, cleaning, and deposition. Chemical mechanisms enhanced by physical processes are of primary importance in etching and cleaning, whereas physical mechanisms play the major role in most deposition processes. In terms of microscopic understanding of the mechanisms associated with ion-assisted deposition, we emphasize the role of surface displacements and their dependence on ion mass and energy. Ioninduced surface defects can modify the kinetics during the film deposition or growth process, and significantly affect the resulting film structure and properties. In research, direct ion beams are most important for characterizing the mechanisms involved, but plasmas are seen to provide the most useful source of ions for application to electronic processing. For the future, we may anticipate continued interest in the use of low-energy ions to increase the control of structure, composition, and properties of surface layers. The main mechanisms will likely depend on the use of the ions to modify kinetic processes, and the primary driving force will likely be the increased requirement of atomic-scale precision in new electronic device structures.