Aspect-ratio-dependent charging in high-density plasmas

Gyeong S. Hwang, Konstantinos P. Giapis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effect of aspect ratio (depth/width) on charge buildup in trenches during plasma etching of polysilicon-on-insulator structures is studied by Monte Carlo simulations. Increased electron shadowing at larger aspect ratios reduces the electron current to the trench bottom. To reach a new charging steady state, the bottom potential must increase, significantly perturbing the local ion dynamics in the trench: the deflected ions bombard the sidewall with larger energies resulting in severe notching. The results capture reported experimental trends and reveal why the increase in aspect ratio that follows the reduction in critical device dimensions will cause more problems unless the geometry is scaled to maintain a constant aspect ratio.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)566-571
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Applied Physics
Volume82
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Jul 1997

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