Surface Roughness in Plasma-Etched $\hbox{As}_{\bf 2}\hbox{S}_{\bf 3}$ Films: Its Origin and Improvement

We describe the microstructure of As
₂
S
₃
films and its effect on the morphology of plasma-etched surfaces. The Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated that the observed grainy morphology of etched As
₂
S
₃
surfaces comes from differential chemical attack between different phases within the film. Two approaches were found to be effective for improving the smoothness of etched surfaces: a change in the plasma chemistry from CF
₄
-O
₂
to CHF
₃
-O
₂
and the application of a thin-conformal coating onto structures already patterned using CF
₄
-O
₂
plasma.