Passivation of dry-etching damage using low-energy hydrogen implants

Reactive-ion etching-and ion-beam etching have been shown to cause a damaged layer at silicon surfaces. In-this study it is demonstrated that the damage in this layer can be passivated using a room-temperature low-energy hydrogen ion implantation from a Kaufman ion source. For the etching conditions used and for the range of beam parameters explored, 5-min implants with a 0.4-keV hydrogen beam were most effective in passivating dry-etching damage.