Plasma Processing of Materials in Microelectronics and Photonics

Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma technology is widely used in the etching of III-V semiconductor devices. This has enabledthe fabrication of a wide variety of high speed analog, digital, and optoelectronic devices. As the need grows for high performance devices with dimensions below 0.1 microns, the technological requirements on the etch source are becoming more subtle and complicated. Applied Science and Technology, Inc., working with Raytheon, proposes a program to develop a comprehensive model of a III-V etch system, with the airm of developing a set of recommendations as to improvements in the hardware and process which will enable the fabrication of future nanoscale devices. Anticipated Benefits: The modeling results from Phase I of this project will result in a set of recommended hardware and process improvements to the III-V etch system. When implemented in Phase II, these improvements will result in extended capabilities in the fabrication of III-V devices and other speciality semiconductor devices as well.