Plasma etching: principles, mechanisms, application to micro- and nano-technologies

Nowadays, plasma-etching processes are asked to produce patterns from the n anometer to the micrometer range with the same efficiency. The very severe requirements in terms of etch rate, selectivity, profile control and surfac e damage plasma-etching processes lead to, have been at the origin of the d evelopment of mechanistic studies by means of plasma diagnostics and surfac e analysis, as well as the development of new etching devices. We review he re the basic concepts of plasma etching, and using examples, we describe mo re in details important features. We recall, in particular, the important r ole of the surface layer, the ion bombardment and the substrate temperature . (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.