ICP Etcher (Plasma-Therm Shuttleline (Chlorine Chemistry))

Vendor: Plasma-Therm, Model: Shuttleline

Contact: Dr. Orna Ternyak (04-829-4204, ornater@technion.ac.il)

Plasma-Therm Shuttleline is a plasma etcher with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) chamber, which can generate much denser plasma in comparison to the RIE reactor, leading to higher etch rates. As a main purpose, it uses chlorine chemistry for anisotropic etching of III-V semiconductors. Anisotropic etching of silica-based glasses is also possible. Mask material is not restricted to photoresists; metal mask is allowed. Two RF generators allow independent control of plasma density and ion energy in the system. The tool is configured to process 3″, 4″ and 6″ diameter wafers, and also small pieces.

Specifications:

  • Chuck for 3”, 4”, 6” wafers and small samples
  • Fully automatic operation
  • Load-lock
  • Anisotropic etch of GaAs/AlGaAs, GaN/AlGaN, Al2O3, SiO2
  • Available gases: SF6, Ar, HBr, Cl2, BCl3, O2, N2, H2, CH4, CF4
  • Temperature of the chuck is controlled in the 10 ÷ 200°C temperature range
  • Two RF sources:
    • ICP – 2MHz, 1500W. Generates very dense plasma near the top of the electrode.
    • Bias – 13.56MHz, 300W. Used to independently bias the substrate.
  • Spectroscopic end point system