ICP Deep RIE (Plasma-Therm Versaline (Fluorine Chemistry))

Vendor: Plasma-Therm, Model: Versaline

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

Plasm-Therm Versaline is a plasma etcher with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) chamber and a loadlock. It is dedicated to high aspect ratio anisotropic deep Si etching required in fabrication of MEMS devices, Si templates for PDMS soft lithography, microfluidic devices, various patterned Si structures for scientific research. Two RF generators allow independent control of plasma density and ion energy in the system. The tool is configured for 6″ diameter wafers. Smaller wafers and pieces can be attached to a 6″ sapphire carrier by thermally conductive and removable adhesive paste. The materials allowed in the system are limited to Silicon, SiO2, Si3N4, SiOXNY, and polymer films such as photoresists, PMMA and polyimide (kapton tape). Etching process depends on several wafer characteristics, like % of Si open area, pattern design, aspect ratio of the etched features, depth of etching, etc. It is recommended to consult the tool owner at early stages of your project planning.

Specifications:

  • Fully automatic operation
  • Load-lock
  • Mechanical clamping by ceramic ring
  • He backside cooling
  • Available gases: SF6, Ar, CF4, CHF3, C4F8, O2, H2, He
  • Temperature of the chuck is controlled in the 10 ÷ 90°C temperature range
  • Two RF sources:
    • ICP – 2MHz, 2000W. Generates very dense plasma near the top of the electrode.
    • Bias – 13.56MHz, 300W. Used to independently bias the substrate.
  • Heated system components for enhanced process stability
  • Interferometric end point system