Electron cyclotron resonance-reactive CH/sub 4//H/sub 2//Ar with constant Ar flow for high etch rate and improvement of etched surface morphology

For etching of III-nitride materials, reactive ion etching (RIE) methods based on mixture gas such as Ch4/H2 and chloride gases are usually used. Although the etching speed of Cl2-based dry etching is usually higher than that of CH4-based dry etching, CH4-based dry etching is superior to Cl2-based dry etching from the viewpoint of being easier to handle and being less toxic and corrosive.