| Harmonic monitoring of the switched silicon etched process (2003) | |||||||||
Abstract | |||||||||
| A new non-invasive radio frequency technique for real-time monitoring of the STS ASE (TM) deep silicon etch process, or other forms of the Bosch switched etch process, is reported. The technique interrogates the plasma-generated harmonic and sideband noise floor level, which is a sensitive probe of the plasma. Using a narrow resolution bandwidth (9 kHz) spectral information discriminating between the alternating cyclo-C4F8 passivation step and the SF6 etch step is clearly and easily visualized. The real-time feedback has the potential to allow characterization and control of the plasma process, both from run-to-run and day-to-day. This measurement technique may provide a path to the understanding of passivation and etching of silicon, and a means of automated process feedback control. The technique is likely to find application in many other processes, as it provides a real-time evolving characteristic signature that may be used to characterize new processes. | |||||||||
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