Nanofabrication Facility |
| XeF2 etcher |
| CNS ID: PAO-1 |
| Make: Homemade |
| Model: |
| Category: Dry Process |
| Name: XeF2 etcher |
| Location: LISE - Cleanroom G07 |
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More Info:
XeF2 etching is an isotropic process widely used for releasing MEMS structures including switches, cantilevers, bridges, mirrors, membranes, channels, and thermal isolation cavities. Its merits include highly selective etching, no stiction problems as existed with wet etching, and long under cuts. Shown in Fig. 1 is the homemade XeF2 etch system at CNS. In this system, a cycling process is applied in the following order: supplying high pressure N2 gas to XeF2 storage bottle flowing the mixture of XeF2 and N2 into the etch chamber etching pumping out vapor by-products starting the next cycle. For safety concerns, the upper cabinet holds the etch chamber, the XeF2 bottle, and the gas lines and is vented to the acid exhaust pipe of the cleanroom. The cabinet normally is at a slightly lower pressure than the ambient. During process and stand-by modes, the cabinet doors are closed. At the end of every run, the etch chamber is pump-purged with N2 for 3 cycles to minimize harmful residuals. |
Comments:
Materials can be etched
XeF2 is widely used to etch Si and it also etches Ge, Mo and SiGe as well as transitional metals W, Ti, Ta, TiN and TaN under certain conditions such as high temperatures.
Materials that won’t be etched
Following materials can’t be etched with the XeF2:
Al, Ni, Cr, Pt, Ga, MgO, ZnO, AlN, GaAs, resist, and PDMS
Etch Selectivity
The etching selectivity of different materials to Si
Materials Selectivity to Si
Si 1:1
Mo 2:1
Ge ≥ 1:1
SiGe ≥ 1:1
Thermal SiO2 1:1000
CVD or PECVD SiO2 1:1000
Si3N4 >1:1000
Sample Sizes
This system is able to handle sample sizes of 6” in diameter or smaller.
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| Contact Info: |
Ling Xie
LISE G52
11 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-496-9069
lxie cns.fas.harvard.edu |
Jiangdong Deng
LISE G54
11 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-3396
jdengcns.fas.harvard.edu |
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