Plasmalab 100 ICP 380

The Oxford Instruments Plasmalab 100 ICP 380 is an inductively coupled plasma etcher.^[1]

In an ICP etcher, a radio-frequency (RF) current is passed through a coil placed around a dielectric chamber window. The oscillating magnetic field induces an electric field inside the chamber that accelerates free electrons, which collide with process gas molecules to create a high-density plasma. The plasma contains reactive radicals and ions that etch the substrate through a combination of chemical reaction and physical bombardment. The substrate is typically placed on a separate RF-biased electrode to control ion energy independently of plasma density.

The ICP source design allows operation at lower pressures than conventional capacitively coupled plasma reactors, giving better control over etch profile anisotropy and reducing sidewall damage. The independent control of plasma density and ion energy makes the process highly tunable.

ICP etchers are positioned in the fabrication flow after lithographic patterning. The photoresist mask defines areas to be etched; the etcher removes material from unprotected regions. After etching, the remaining photoresist is stripped and the wafer proceeds to subsequent deposition or cleaning steps.

ICP etching is applied in the manufacture of integrated circuits, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), power devices, and compound semiconductor devices. Common processes include silicon deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE), oxide etching, and metal etch for interconnects.

The ability to achieve high etch rates with good uniformity makes the class suitable for both front-end-of-line and back-end-of-line applications, as well as for research and development environments.