What are the commonly used etching gases in dry etching?

Dry etching technology is one of the key processes. Dry etching gas is a key material in semiconductor manufacturing and an important gas source for plasma etching. Its performance directly affects the quality and performance of the final product. This article mainly shares what are the commonly used etching gases in the dry etching process.

Fluorine-based gases: such as carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), hexafluoroethane (C2F6), trifluoromethane (CHF3) and perfluoropropane (C3F8). These gases can effectively generate volatile fluorides when etching silicon and silicon compounds, thereby achieving material removal.

Chlorine-based gases: such as chlorine (Cl2), boron trichloride (BCl3) and silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4). Chlorine-based gases can provide chloride ions during the etching process, which helps to improve the etching rate and selectivity.

Bromine-based gases: such as bromine (Br2) and bromine iodide (IBr). Bromine-based gases can provide better etching performance in certain etching processes, especially when etching hard materials such as silicon carbide.

Nitrogen-based and oxygen-based gases: such as nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and oxygen (O2). These gases are usually used to adjust the reaction conditions in the etching process to improve the selectivity and directionality of the etching.

These gases achieve precise etching of the material surface through a combination of physical sputtering and chemical reactions during plasma etching. The choice of etching gas depends on the type of material to be etched, the selectivity requirements of the etching, and the desired etching rate.