Thanks, Robert, I will try that. Cheers, Marcel Robert Ditizio schrieb: > Marcel: > > It is not surprising that you "did not get significant results" with > your RIE system. You do not describe the configuration of your RIE > system but if it is not inductively coupled, and does not have the large > power supplies typical of ICP-based DRIE systems, then it is likely that > you are getting very low etch and passivation rates. In order to get a > deep silicon etch process out of this system, you may need to approach > the development a little differently. > > You might consider collecting an etch rate for the silicon with SF6 to > determine the duration required for the etch step of the cyclic Bosch > process. Running a process for 7sec is not as relevant as running for a > duration sufficient to etch a target etch depth into the silicon. A > typical depth for the etch step, for example, might be 0.5 to 1um. You > will want to target the duration of the SF6 etch step to reach this > depth. If your silicon etch rate is only about 1um/min, then your SF6 > etch step would need to be run for 60sec, not 7sec, in your reactor. > The ultimate duration will depend on the sidewall roughness that you can > tolerate for your application but these numbers are provided as an > example. > > For the passivation step, you will need to set the duration of the CHF3 > passivation step so that you get sufficient sidewall coverage to prevent > isotropic etching of the sidewall. You may need to try a few different > deposition times to determine the time required to provide sufficient > coverage to prevent sidewall attack, without overdoing the exposure. > Too much deposition will lead to narrowing of the opening. It is also > important to remember that you need to remove the passivation from the > bottom of the trench at the start of each SF6 step before you can > continue with the etching of the silicon. > > You don't mention if you are biasing the wafer but you will need to have > the substrate biased to get a reasonable etch rate for the silicon. You > also don't mention anything about the pressure range that you can > operate. Typical pressures for deep silicon etching fall into a very > wide range, from 30 to >200mT. If your etcher is capacitively coupled, > you are likely to be limited to upper end of this range. Most deep > silicon etch processes run at high gas flow rates of hundreds of sccm. > > The process in the original Bosch patent was described using SF6 as the > etchant and CHF3 as the passivant, so there is precedent in using this > combination. Good luck with your process development. > > Robert Ditizio > Tegal Corporation