Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) System Design and its Characterisation

The design parameters have been presented for a reactive ion etching system and the effects of the process parameters like gas pressure, gas flow, RF power on the etch rates of silicon were studied using SF6 gas. The role of the self dc-bias and hence ion bombardment energy which is a key factor in determining the etch characteristics in a RIE process have also been discussed.