Development and Characterization of a RIE Process for Anisotropic Trenches in Silicon

Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) is an important process widely used in the fabrication of micro-electro mechanical-systems (MEMS) especially for microfluidic channels. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a process for anisotropic trenches in silicon using the Drytek Quad reactive ion etching system available at the Semiconductor and Microsystems Fabrication Laboratory at Rochester Institute of Technology. The etch profiles were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the aspect ratio dependent etching (ARDE) effect, and the etch anisotropy were characterized. At the end, this investigation demonstrated highly anisotropic trenches etched in silicon. A baseline process for etching anisotropic trenches in silicon using the Drytek Quad was established