Dangling bond creation processes during fluorocarbon plasma etching of films were studied by using an in vacuo electron spin resonance technique. A Si dangling bond (E’ center, g-value = 2.0003) was located in SiO2 films within about 10nm below the interface of films with an amorphous fluorinated C film that was top-covered. The density of the E’ center was maintained during etching processes created by the illumination of vacuum ultra-violet emissions with a higher photon energy than the band-gap of SiO2.

In vacuo Measurements of Dangling Bonds Created during Ar-Diluted Fluorocarbon Plasma Etching of Silicon Dioxide Films. K.Ishikawa, M.Okigawa, Y.Ishikawa, S.Samukawa, S.Yamasaki: Applied Physics Letters, 2005, 86[26], 264104 (3pp)