REACTIVE ACCELERATED CLUSTER EROSION (RACE)

Beams of ionized clusters of some thousand atoms are accelerated to ab out 100-keV kinetic energy to be used for area selective surface erosi on. Mask projective cluster-impact lithography allows surface structur ing in the submicron regime. Chemical reactions between the cluster an d the target material may provide volatile reaction products facilitat ing ejecta removal. The reactive accelerated cluster erosion (RACE) pr ocess is applied to metals like copper and gold, to semiconductors suc h as silicon, and to insulators like glass, quartz, or sapphire, givin g very smooth eroded surface and steep sidewalls.