Modeling of Deep Reactive Ion Etching in a Three-Dimensional Simulation Environment

Abstract

The deep reactive ion etching process (DRIE) [1] is a time multiplexed process where a fast chemical etching and a passivation processes are applied alternatively. It is very popular in surface micro-machined MEMS processing to obtain trench structures with high aspect ratios. The presence of a thin passivation layer makes it a very challenging process, especially for the three-dimensional simulation analysis. In this work we present a modeling approach for the simulation of DRIE processes. The model has been implemented in the three dimensional process simulation framework Victory-Process. When varying the etching / deposition cycles’ time ratios, the DRIE process shows three different regimes. These regimes are as well represented by the developed model. The simulation results obtained are compared with the corresponding REM images of trench etching experiments.