RIE 1 (Custom)

RIE 1 (Custom) Tool Type Dry Etch Location Bay 3 Supervisor Don Freeborn Supervisor Phone (805) 893-7975 Supervisor E-Mail dfreeborn@ece.ucsb.edu Description Custom, Loadlocked Chlorine-Based System Manufacturer UCSB Dry Etch Recipes

About

The Reactive Ion Etcher #1 is a turbo-pumped plasma deposition system from Sputtered Films that has been modified by the UCSB Nanofabrication Research Facility for chlorine-based reactive ion etching @ 13.56 Mhz. Special features include: a very small volume sample loadlock (for low O₂ partial pressure) with integral four inch sample holder and a HeNe laser etch monitor.

Typical materials that are etched with this system include: GaAs/AlGaAs, optical photoresists, and polymers such as polyimides. In addition, various optoelectronic devices such as in-plane lasers, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), microlenses, FETs, Bragg Fresnel lenses are among the structures and devices that can be processed with this tool. This etcher is the preferred system for obtaining anisotropic etching (straight sidewalls) for the AlGaAs semiconductor system.

Detailed Specifications

• Etch gases include: Cl₂, O₂, Ar and He
• Mid 1 E-7 Torr Ultimate Chamber Pressure
• 13.56 MHz excitation frequency
• Sample size limited to approximately 2 inches
• Masking materials include: Ni, Photoresist, SiO₂, Si₃N₄, SrF
• Typical etch conditions for GaAs:
  • 2mT Cl₂
  • 350 Volts Bias
  • ~ 200 nm / min. Etch Rate