Determination of Ion Power Density during Reactive-Ion Etching from Temperature Measurements Using Laser Interferometry

Abstract

A method to determine the ion power density during reactive-ion etching using a laser interferometer is described. Thickness changes due to heating of thin (<0.3 centimeters) plate-glass substrates during RIE processing are monitored via interferometry. The thickness changes are directly related to temperature changes within the isothermal substrate, which allows the plate- glass temperature to be monitored accurately and non-intrusively. Ion energy flux determinations follow directly from the heating and cooling dynamics of the substrate. The measured ion energy fluxes are constant for all times during a run to within experimental error and are in good agreement with predictions given by the space-charge limited flux expression. The radio frequency power transfer efficiency, defined as the ion energy flux delivered to the cathode relative to the nominal rf input power, is less than 30%. The O2 (oxygen) RIE rate of poly(methyl methacrylate) and polystyrene were found to vary linearly with the measured ion energy flux to the surface over a broad range of processing conditions. (jg)

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 07, 1990
Accession Number
ADA222065

Entities

People

  • B. C. Dems
  • Francisco J. Medellı́n-Rodrı́guez

Organizations

  • Cornell University School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alkenes
  • Calibration
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Climate Change
  • Engineering
  • Flow Rate
  • Heat Capacity
  • Interferograms
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Radio Frequency Power
  • Reactive Ion Etching
  • Space Charge
  • Specific Heat
  • Steady State
  • Systems Engineering
  • Temperature Gradients

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Nanofabrication and Microfabrication.
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Lasers
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster