Atomic layer etching
Atomic layer etching is an emerging technique in semiconductor manufacture, in which a sequence alternating between self-limiting chemical modification steps which affect only the top atomic layers of the wafer, and etching steps which remove only the chemically-modified areas, allows the removal of individual atomic layers. The standard example is etching of silicon by alternating reaction with chlorine and etching with argon ions.
This is a better-controlled process than reactive ion etching, though the issue with commercial use of it has been throughput; sophisticated gas handling is required, and removal rates of one atomic layer per second are around the state of the art.[1]
The equivalent process for depositing material is atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is substantially more mature, having been used by Intel for high-κ dielectric layers since 2007 and in Finland in the fabrication of thin film electroluminescent devices since 1985.[2]
References
- ^ "Atomic Layer Etch now in Fab Evaluations". 2014-08-04.
- ^ Puurunen, Riikka L. (2014-12-01). "A Short History of Atomic Layer Deposition: Tuomo Suntola's Atomic Layer Epitaxy". Chemical Vapor Deposition. 20 (10-11-12): 332–344. doi:10.1002/cvde.201402012. ISSN 1521-3862.
External links
- ECS-JSS focus journal on atomic layer etch
- Overview of atomic layer etching in the semiconductor industry
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