Dry etching of III-V nitrides

The chemical inertness and high bond strengths of the III-V nitrides lead to slower plasma etching rates than for more conventional III-V semiconductors under the same conditions. High ion density conditions (>3{times}l0{sup 9}cm{sup {minus}3}) such as those obtained in ECR or magnetron reactors produce etch rates up to an order of magnitude higher than for RIE, where the ion densities are in the 10{sup 9}cm{sup {minus}3} range. We have developed smooth anisotropic dry etches for GaN, InN, AlN and their alloys based on Cl{sub 2}/CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Ar, BCl{sub 3}/Ar, Cl{sub 2}/H{sub 2}, Cl{sub 2}/SF{sub 6}, HBr/H{sub 2} and HI/H{sub 2} plasma chemistries achieving etch rates up to {approximately}4,000{angstrom}/min at moderate dc bias voltages ({le}-150V). Ion-induced damage in the nitrides appears to be less apparent than in other III-V`s. One of the key remaining issues is the achievement of high selectivities for removal of one layer from another

Dry Etching of III-V Nitrides

The chemical inertness and high bond strengths of the III-V nitrides lead to slower plasma etching rates than for more conventional III-V semiconductors under the same conditions. High ion density conditions (>3{times}l0{sup 9}cm{sup {minus}3}) such as those obtained in ECR or magnetron reactors produce etch rates up to an order of magnitude higher than for RIE, where the ion densities are in the 10{sup 9}cm{sup {minus}3} range. We have developed smooth anisotropic dry etches for GaN, InN, AlN and their alloys based on Cl{sub 2}/CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Ar, BCl{sub 3}/Ar, Cl{sub 2}/H{sub 2}, Cl{sub 2}/SF{sub 6}, HBr/H{sub 2} and HI/H{sub 2} plasma chemistries achieving etch rates up to {approximately}4,000{angstrom}/min at moderate dc bias voltages ({le}-150V). Ion-induced damage in the nitrides appears to be less apparent than in other III-V`s. One of the key remaining issues is the achievement of high selectivities for removal of one layer from another