Plasma etching of polydimethylsiloxane: Effects from process gas composition and dc self-bias voltage

Films made of polydimethylsiloxane elastomers have been etched using reactive ion etching. The elastomers are etched using different mixtures of CF4, SF6, and O2 as process gases. The etch rate and profile of the etched area are measured as function of the process pressure for different process gas compositions. At low pressure the highest etch rate is achieved in SF6+O2 plasma. At high pressure the highest etch rate is achieved in CF4+SF6+O2 plasma. The profile of the etched surface is strongly dependent on the process gas composition and the dc bias voltage in the plasma.