Study of the SiO2-to-Si3N4 etch selectivity mechanism in inductively coupled fluorocarbon plasmas and a comparison with the SiO2-to-Si

The mechanisms underlying selective etching of a SiO2 layer over a Si or Si3N4 underlayer, a process of vital importance to modern integrated circuit fabrication technology, has been studied. Selective etching of SiO2-to-Si3N4 in various inductively coupled fluorocarbon plasmas (CHF3, C2F6/C3F6, and C3F6/H2) was performed, and the results compared to selective SiO2-to-Si etching. A fluorocarbon film is present on the surfaces of all investigated substrate materials during steady state etching conditions. A general trend is that the substrate etch rate is inversely proportional to the thickness of this fluorocarbon film. Oxide substrates are covered with a thin fluorocarbon film (