Silicon etching in NF3/O2 remote microwave plasmas

The etching of silicon in remote microwave discharges fed with NF3 /O2 has been investigated. In situ ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ~XPS! were used to monitor surface effects, while mass spectrometry was used to monitor the gas phase dynamics. Varying the microwave power from 600 to 1400 W has little effect, due to the near complete dissociation of the NF3, even at lower powers. For discharges containing pure NF3, the poly-Si etch rate increases linearly with NF3 flow. When a low proportion of O2 (O2 /NF350.1) is added to the discharge, the etch rate increases quickly to its maximum of ;700 nm/min. With further O2 addition, this etch rate decreases below that observed for pure NF3 processing. The fluorine concentration in the processing region decreases for all O2 additions by a dilution effect. For pure NF3 discharges, XPS measurements reveal 1–2 nm thick, highly fluorinated reaction layers with a gradual loss of fluorine content as the NF3 flow is increased. Specimens processed with both NF3 and O2 show much less surface fluorination that decreases with increasing O2 content in the feed gas. At the etch rate maximum, the observed N (1s) signal is also maximized. The reaction layer thickness increases with added O2 and continues to more than 10 nm at O2:NF3 ratios greater than unity. We discuss the enhanced reactivity of the modified Si surface and compare our results with the role of admixed N2 into the CF4 /O2 system. We also injected NO directly into the effluent of NF3 and CF4 /O2 discharges. For fluorine rich discharges, NO removes the modified surface layer on Si and provides for an enhanced etch rate. In the oxygen rich regime, NO injection can increase both the etch rate and the reaction layer thickness. We will present a mechanism for the enhanced etching of Si in the presence of fluorine, oxygen and the NO molecule. © 1999 American Vacuum Society. @S0734-2101~99!10205-7#