The Future Of Plasma Processing in Microelectronic Fabrication

Electronics is the largest industry in the United States, and may a I so be the most strategic industry. The fabrication of electronic devices, and more specifically, the use of plasma processes represents a vital part of that industry. However, the incorporation of plasma operations to build devices that are not possible by any other technology, is based on empiricism. The need to understand the underlying principles of the plasma and its application is great and is necessary to provide even more opportunity to benefit from plasma technology. The current issues in the use of plasma technology in microelectronics are ones that have been generated by the continuing reduction of integrated circuit feature size and material thickness associated with leading-edge devices. As critical circuit feature size shrinks the need to provide ever finer control for faithful replication of the etch stencil (anisotropy) is demanded. As material thickness decreases, more control over film properties and interface characteristics are demanded, requiring lower processing temperatures for deposition and patterning of these films. Damage effects from the harsh plasma environment that alter device performance must be understood. The interaction of the basic parameters of the operational process (power, flow, chemistry, pressure> that impact resulting anisotropy, selectivity, uniformity, and morphology must be known and used for optimum benefit. Tool configurations that regard these effects are needed for the microelectronics factory that intends competing for market share.