Dry etching damage of silicon: A review

A review of our present understanding of silicon surface modifications resulting from reactive ion etching (RIE) is presented. The spectroscopic evidence for silicon substrate defects produced by reactive low pressure plasmas, the effect of hydrogen in the feed gas in promoting the formation of extended silicon defects and modifying the electrical properties of the silicon substrate, and the dependence of residual silicon near-surface modifications on important dry etch process parameters such as the silicon etch rate is surveyed. The experimental evidence for the importance of diffusion effects is summarized. Issues associated with annealing treatments of RIE defects are discussed. The paper concludes with a listing of oustanding issued and current trends in dry etching, enabling improved dry etch damage control. © 1989.