An Integrated Plasma Equipment — Feature Evolution Model for Thin Film Etching Applications

Plasma assisted etching is a vital technology for microelectronics manufacturing. The quest for higher speed, denser circuitry and enhanced functionality in integrated circuits is pushing all microelectronics manufacturing processes including plasma etching to their limits. Transition towards new materials (e.g. Cu, low-k dielectrics), control of plasma damage mechanisms (e.g. charging) and new environmentally friendly etching chemistries (e.g. C₄F₆) are introducing additional challenges. It has therefore become imperative to thoroughly understand the plasma etching processes and the behavior of plasma equipment. Computational modeling is one tool that, in conjunction with experiments, can be invaluable in this quest. We have recently developed integrated plasma equipment - feature evolution models for investigating the physics and technology of plasma assisted etching. These models along with their application to c-C₄F₈ based dielectric etching are the focus of this paper.