Characteristics of reactive ion etching for zinc telluride using CH4 and H-2 gases

We have studied the characteristics of reactive ion etching for zinc tellur ide using CH4 and H-2 crases. The effects of CH4/H-2 gas composition, total gas pressure, and plasma power on the etching properties were investigated . It was found that variation of the CH4 concentration in gas mixtures lead s to changes in both the etching rate and the surface morphology. The etchi ng rate of ZnTe increases from 128 to 629 Angstrom /min with increasing the plasma power from 50 to 300 W at a 4% CH4 concentration and 25 Pa pressure . A smooth etched ZnTe surface was obtained in the range of 4%-16% CH4 conc entration and 10-65 Pa. pressure. (C) 2001 American Vacuum Society.