Influence of Charging on SiO₂ Etching Profile Evolution Etched by Fluorocarbon Plasmas

A comprehensive simulation of etching profile evolution requires knowledge of the etching rates at all points of the profile surface during the etching process. Electrons do not contribute directly to the material removal, but they are the source, together with positive ions, of the profile charging that has many negative consequences on the final outcome of the process especially in the case of insulating material etching. The ability to simulate feature charging was added to the 3D level set profile evolution simulator described earlier. The ion and electron fluxes were computed along the feature using the Monte Carlo method. The surface potential profiles and electric field for the entire feature were generated by solving the Laplace equation using finite elements method. Calculations were performed in the case of a simplified model of Ar+/CF4 nonequilibrium plasma etching of SiO2.