USH597H - Method of etching zirconium diboride - Google Patents
Method of etching zirconium diboride Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- USH597H USH597H US07/176,126 US17612688A USH597H US H597 H USH597 H US H597H US 17612688 A US17612688 A US 17612688A US H597 H USH597 H US H597H
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- mixture
- gas
- dry etchant
- fluoride
- chloride gas
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 229910007948 ZrB2 Inorganic materials 0.000 title claims abstract description 23
- VWZIXVXBCBBRGP-UHFFFAOYSA-N boron;zirconium Chemical compound B#[Zr]#B VWZIXVXBCBBRGP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 title claims abstract description 23
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 21
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 title claims description 11
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 31
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- VEXZGXHMUGYJMC-UHFFFAOYSA-M Chloride anion Chemical compound [Cl-] VEXZGXHMUGYJMC-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 claims abstract description 15
- KRHYYFGTRYWZRS-UHFFFAOYSA-M Fluoride anion Chemical compound [F-] KRHYYFGTRYWZRS-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 229910052756 noble gas Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 238000000206 photolithography Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 230000005684 electric field Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004338 Dichlorodifluoromethane Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- PXBRQCKWGAHEHS-UHFFFAOYSA-N dichlorodifluoromethane Chemical group FC(F)(Cl)Cl PXBRQCKWGAHEHS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 235000019404 dichlorodifluoromethane Nutrition 0.000 claims description 2
- 150000001805 chlorine compounds Chemical group 0.000 claims 1
- 150000002222 fluorine compounds Chemical group 0.000 claims 1
- QYEXBYZXHDUPRC-UHFFFAOYSA-N B#[Ti]#B Chemical compound B#[Ti]#B QYEXBYZXHDUPRC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 8
- 229910033181 TiB2 Inorganic materials 0.000 description 8
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010884 ion-beam technique Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000059 patterning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001020 plasma etching Methods 0.000 description 2
- TXEYQDLBPFQVAA-UHFFFAOYSA-N tetrafluoromethane Chemical compound FC(F)(F)F TXEYQDLBPFQVAA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- JBRZTFJDHDCESZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N AsGa Chemical compound [As]#[Ga] JBRZTFJDHDCESZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910001218 Gallium arsenide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009792 diffusion process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001312 dry etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010408 film Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004544 sputter deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000992 sputter etching Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C04—CEMENTS; CONCRETE; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES
- C04B—LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE
- C04B41/00—After-treatment of mortars, concrete, artificial stone or ceramics; Treatment of natural stone
- C04B41/009—After-treatment of mortars, concrete, artificial stone or ceramics; Treatment of natural stone characterised by the material treated
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C04—CEMENTS; CONCRETE; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES
- C04B—LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE
- C04B41/00—After-treatment of mortars, concrete, artificial stone or ceramics; Treatment of natural stone
- C04B41/80—After-treatment of mortars, concrete, artificial stone or ceramics; Treatment of natural stone of only ceramics
- C04B41/91—After-treatment of mortars, concrete, artificial stone or ceramics; Treatment of natural stone of only ceramics involving the removal of part of the materials of the treated articles, e.g. etching
Definitions
- This invention relates in general to a method of etching zirconium diboride, ZrB 2 and in particular to a method of dry etching a thin film of ZrB 2 that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography.
- Zirconium diboride like titanium diboride, TiB 2 , has become of interest in laboratory research because of its resistance to change or degradation at high temperatures.
- zirconium diboride does exhibit other properties that differ significantly from the properties of titanium diboride. That is, ZrB 2 is twice as electrically conductive as TiB 2 .
- the melting point of ZrB 2 is 3245° C. as compared to 2980° C., the melting point of TiB 2 . The higher melting point makes ZrBhd more resistant to changes with heat. Then too, ZrB 2 is less porous than TiB 2 .
- the general object of this invention is to provide a method of etching ZrB 2 .
- a more particular object of this invention is to provide a method of etching a thin film of ZrB 2 that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography.
- a thin film of ZrB 2 that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography is dry etched by first mounting the substrate bearing the patterned thin film on the lower electrode of a pair of electrodes in the etch chamber of a commercial plasma etcher or plasma therm etcher.
- the etch chamber is evacuated to a pressure of about 10 -6 Torr and a dry etchant as for example, tetrafluoromethane (CF 4 ) or dichlorodifluoromethane (CCl 2 F 2 ) admitted at a flow rate of about 1 to 100 sccm and a pressure set at about 1 to 500 mTorr.
- CF 4 tetrafluoromethane
- CCl 2 F 2 dichlorodifluoromethane
- An electric field is applied between the electrodes, the power level set at about 50 to 1000 watts and etching allowed to proceed for the desired time.
- dry etchants that will etch ZrB 2 include a chloride gas or a mixture of chloride gas with oxygen or a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen or a mixture of chloride gas with a noble gas or a fluoride gas or a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen or a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.
- the sample is removed and the etch rate determined by measuring the etch depth and dividing by the etch time.
- a thin film of ZrB 2 is first deposited on a gallium arsenide substrate by sputtering and the substrate with thin film of ZrB 2 then patterned using photolithography.
- the substrate bearing the patterned film is then mounted on the lower electrode of a pair of electrodes in the etch chamber of a commercial plasma etcher.
- the etch chamber with the electrodes inside is then evacuated to a pressure of about 10 -6 Torr.
- CCl 2 F 2 is then admitted into the etch chamber at a flow rate of about 2 to 10 sccm and the pressure set at about 10 to 50 mTorr.
- An electric field is applied between te electrodes and the power level set at about 300 watts.
- the etch is allowed to proceed until the ZrB 2 is completely removed in the areas exposed by the photolithography.
- etch ZrB 2 Other dry etch processes that can be used to etch ZrB 2 include reactive ion beam etching (RIBE), chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE), reactive ion etching (RIE), and magnetron ion etching (MIE).
- RIBE reactive ion beam etching
- CAIBE chemically assisted ion beam etching
- RIE reactive ion etching
- MIE magnetron ion etching
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Drying Of Semiconductors (AREA)
Abstract
A thin film of zirconium diboride that has been deposited onto a substratend patterned using photolithography is dry etched in a commercial plasma etcher with either chloride gas, or a mixture of a chloride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of chloride gas with a noble gas, or a fluoride gas, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.
Description
The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.
This invention relates in general to a method of etching zirconium diboride, ZrB2 and in particular to a method of dry etching a thin film of ZrB2 that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 156,124, filed 16 Feb., 1988, of Linda S. Heath for "Method of Etching Titanium Diboride" and assigned to a common assignee and with which this application is copending describes and claims a method of etching titanium diboride with a dry etch.
Zirconium diboride, like titanium diboride, TiB2, has become of interest in laboratory research because of its resistance to change or degradation at high temperatures. However, zirconium diboride does exhibit other properties that differ significantly from the properties of titanium diboride. That is, ZrB2 is twice as electrically conductive as TiB2. Moreover, the melting point of ZrB2 is 3245° C. as compared to 2980° C., the melting point of TiB2. The higher melting point makes ZrBhd more resistant to changes with heat. Then too, ZrB2 is less porous than TiB2.
One of the difficulties involved with working with ZrB2 is that because of its resistance to attack, it is difficult to pattern. In fact, no wet etches have been available to carry out such patterning.
The general object of this invention is to provide a method of etching ZrB2. A more particular object of this invention is to provide a method of etching a thin film of ZrB2 that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography.
It has now been found that the aforementioned objects can be attained by etching ZrB2 with a dry etch.
More particularly, according to the invention, a thin film of ZrB2 that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography is dry etched by first mounting the substrate bearing the patterned thin film on the lower electrode of a pair of electrodes in the etch chamber of a commercial plasma etcher or plasma therm etcher. The etch chamber is evacuated to a pressure of about 10-6 Torr and a dry etchant as for example, tetrafluoromethane (CF4) or dichlorodifluoromethane (CCl2 F2) admitted at a flow rate of about 1 to 100 sccm and a pressure set at about 1 to 500 mTorr. An electric field is applied between the electrodes, the power level set at about 50 to 1000 watts and etching allowed to proceed for the desired time.
Other dry etchants that will etch ZrB2 include a chloride gas or a mixture of chloride gas with oxygen or a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen or a mixture of chloride gas with a noble gas or a fluoride gas or a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen or a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.
After the dry etch, the sample is removed and the etch rate determined by measuring the etch depth and dividing by the etch time.
By adjusting the process parameters, one is able to attain etch rates of 67 to 140 Å/min for ZrB2. This is useful for patterning ZrB2 as a diffusion barrier or a Schottky contact to semiconductors.
A thin film of ZrB2 is first deposited on a gallium arsenide substrate by sputtering and the substrate with thin film of ZrB2 then patterned using photolithography.
The substrate bearing the patterned film is then mounted on the lower electrode of a pair of electrodes in the etch chamber of a commercial plasma etcher. The etch chamber with the electrodes inside is then evacuated to a pressure of about 10-6 Torr. CCl2 F2 is then admitted into the etch chamber at a flow rate of about 2 to 10 sccm and the pressure set at about 10 to 50 mTorr. An electric field is applied between te electrodes and the power level set at about 300 watts. The etch is allowed to proceed until the ZrB2 is completely removed in the areas exposed by the photolithography.
Other dry etch processes that can be used to etch ZrB2 include reactive ion beam etching (RIBE), chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE), reactive ion etching (RIE), and magnetron ion etching (MIE).
We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details as described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
Claims (11)
1. Method of etching a thin film of zirconium diboride that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography, said method including the steps of:
(A) mounting a substrate bearing a patterned thin film on a lower electrode of a pair of electrodes in an etch chamber of a plasma therm etcher,
(B) evacuating teh etch chamber to a pressure of about 10-6 Torr,
(C) admitting a dry etchant to the etch chamber at a flow rate of about 1 to 100 sccm and a pressure set at about 1 to 500 mTorr,
(D) applying an electric field between the pair of electrodes and setting the power level at about 50 to 1000 watts, and
(E) allowing the etch to proceed for a predetermined time.
2. Method according to claim 1 wherein the dry etchant is selected from the group consisting of a chloride gas, a mixture of a chloride gas with oxygen, a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen, a mixture of a chloride gas with a noble gas, a fluoride gas, a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen, a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen, and a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.
3. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a chloride gas.
4. Method according to claim 3 wherein the dry etchant is dichlorodifluoromethane.
5. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a chloride gas with oxygen.
6. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen.
7. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a chloride gas with a noble gas.
8. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a fluoride gas.
9. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen.
10. Method according to claim 2 therein the dry etchant is a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen.
11. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a fluoride gas with noble gas.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US07/176,126 USH597H (en) | 1988-03-31 | 1988-03-31 | Method of etching zirconium diboride |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US07/176,126 USH597H (en) | 1988-03-31 | 1988-03-31 | Method of etching zirconium diboride |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| USH597H true USH597H (en) | 1989-03-07 |
Family
ID=34865638
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| US07/176,126 Abandoned USH597H (en) | 1988-03-31 | 1988-03-31 | Method of etching zirconium diboride |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | USH597H (en) |
Citations (11)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3855024A (en) | 1971-11-01 | 1974-12-17 | Western Electric Co | Method of vapor-phase polishing a surface of a semiconductor |
| US4350729A (en) | 1979-07-11 | 1982-09-21 | Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Patterned layer article and manufacturing method therefor |
| US4372806A (en) | 1981-12-30 | 1983-02-08 | Rca Corporation | Plasma etching technique |
| US4425769A (en) | 1981-05-07 | 1984-01-17 | Maurice Hakoune | Method for treating a gem and gem treated with this method |
| US4448800A (en) | 1981-08-10 | 1984-05-15 | Nippon Telegraph And Telephone Public Corporation | Method for the manufacture of semiconductor device using refractory metal in a lift-off step |
| US4545114A (en) | 1982-09-30 | 1985-10-08 | Fujitsu Limited | Method of producing semiconductor device |
| US4612554A (en) | 1985-07-29 | 1986-09-16 | Xerox Corporation | High density thermal ink jet printhead |
| US4639748A (en) | 1985-09-30 | 1987-01-27 | Xerox Corporation | Ink jet printhead with integral ink filter |
| US4702792A (en) | 1985-10-28 | 1987-10-27 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method of forming fine conductive lines, patterns and connectors |
| US4711698A (en) | 1985-07-15 | 1987-12-08 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Silicon oxide thin film etching process |
| US4738747A (en) | 1986-07-22 | 1988-04-19 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Process for etching zirconium metallic objects |
-
1988
- 1988-03-31 US US07/176,126 patent/USH597H/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (11)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3855024A (en) | 1971-11-01 | 1974-12-17 | Western Electric Co | Method of vapor-phase polishing a surface of a semiconductor |
| US4350729A (en) | 1979-07-11 | 1982-09-21 | Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Patterned layer article and manufacturing method therefor |
| US4425769A (en) | 1981-05-07 | 1984-01-17 | Maurice Hakoune | Method for treating a gem and gem treated with this method |
| US4448800A (en) | 1981-08-10 | 1984-05-15 | Nippon Telegraph And Telephone Public Corporation | Method for the manufacture of semiconductor device using refractory metal in a lift-off step |
| US4372806A (en) | 1981-12-30 | 1983-02-08 | Rca Corporation | Plasma etching technique |
| US4545114A (en) | 1982-09-30 | 1985-10-08 | Fujitsu Limited | Method of producing semiconductor device |
| US4711698A (en) | 1985-07-15 | 1987-12-08 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Silicon oxide thin film etching process |
| US4612554A (en) | 1985-07-29 | 1986-09-16 | Xerox Corporation | High density thermal ink jet printhead |
| US4639748A (en) | 1985-09-30 | 1987-01-27 | Xerox Corporation | Ink jet printhead with integral ink filter |
| US4702792A (en) | 1985-10-28 | 1987-10-27 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method of forming fine conductive lines, patterns and connectors |
| US4738747A (en) | 1986-07-22 | 1988-04-19 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Process for etching zirconium metallic objects |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
| AS | Assignment |
Owner name: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE, AS REPRESENTED BY T Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:HEATH, LINDA S.;KWIATKOWSKI, BONNIE L.;REEL/FRAME:005044/0907 Effective date: 19880325 |