Gas-surface dynamics and profile evolution during etching of silicon

Scattering of energetic F atoms on a fluorinated Si surface is studied by molecular beam methods. The energy transfer closely follows hard-sphere collision kinematics. Energy and angular distributions of unreacted F atoms suggest significant multiple-bounce scattering in addition to single-bounce scattering and trapping desorption. An empirical model of the atom-surface interaction dynamics is used in a Monte Carlo simulation of topography evolution during neutral beam etching of Si. Model predictions of profile phenomena are validated by experiments.