Spatial distributions of thin oxide charging in reactive ion etcher and MERIE etcher

The spatial variation of the oxide charging across a wafer in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etcher (MERIE) was investigated and compared with that in a reactive ion etcher (RIE). The polarity as well as the magnitude of the oxide charging current were determined by evaluating quasi-static CV curves for MOS capacitors. In a MERIE etcher with a static magnetic field, oxide charging is negative for about half of the wafer and positive for the other half of the wafer. A model is proposed to explain how lateral magnetic field affects the spatial distribution of charging across the wafer in a MERIE etcher.<
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