Dresden 2009 – scientific programme
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HL: Fachverband Halbleiterphysik
HL 9: Poster 1
HL 9.65: Poster
Monday, March 23, 2009, 14:30–17:00, P2
Dry Etching of ZnO using an Inductively Coupled Plasma: Role of plasma chemistry — •Minisha Mehta1, Marcel Ruth1, Karoline Piegdon1, David Krix2, Hermann Nienhaus2, and Cedrik Meier1 — 1Experimental Physics, University of Paderborn, Warburger Str.100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany — 2Experimental Phyics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstr.1, 47057 Duisburg,Germany
ZnO has gained much interest due to its potential applications in optoelectronic and electronic devices. In order to achieve the small dimensions required for such devices, the development of plasma etching instead of wet chemical etching is imperative. Dry etching processes for ZnO using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) based on SiCl4 and CH4 plasma chemistry have been investigated. The influence of plasma chemistry, base pressure, radio frequency (rf) table power and ICP power on etch characteristics have been studied. The etch rate, etch profile and surface morphology of etched samples were characterized by surface profilometer, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. It was found that CH4-based chemistry showed a higher etch rate than the SiCl4 based chemistry, presumably due to the formation of highly volatile metal organic zinc compound. Moreover, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) have been performed and analyzed to examine the surface stoichiometry of etched ZnO using both plasma chemistries. Furthermore, based on UV-photoluminescence study, the effect of dry etching on the optical properties of ZnO will also be outlined.