Title :
Etching Properties of DC Sputtered Al Thin Films in Silicon Micromachining
Author :
Resnik, D. ; Vrtacnik, D. ; Aljancic, U. ; Mozek, M. ; Amon, S.
Author_Institution :
Fac. of Electr. Eng., Ljubljana Univ.
Abstract :
Surface morphology and etch rates of DC magnetron sputtered aluminum films on (100) Si were investigated in the scope of substrate preheat temperature and thermal annealing of Al thin film. Hillock formation in the Al film was found to be strongly dependent on the preheat temperature in the range of 100deg-300degC and less on the annealing temperature. Hillock size and density were significantly increased when aluminum was sputtered on silicon dioxide layer. Sputtered Al films were used as the etch mask for micromachining of (100) silicon and were studied as a function of etch temperature, time and the addition of ammonium peroxodisulfate (AP) into the anisotropic etchant consisting of 5%TMAH-water+1.5% dissolved silicon. The aluminium mask exhibited excellent etch selectivity, comparable to the silicon dioxide or silicon nitride etch mask
Keywords :
aluminium; annealing; micromachining; silicon; silicon compounds; sputter etching; surface morphology; thin films; Al; DC magnetron sputtered aluminum films; DC sputtered Al thin films; Si; ammonium peroxodisulfate; anisotropic etchant; annealing temperature; dissolved silicon; etch rates; etch selectivity; etch temperature; etching properties; hillock formation; hillock size; silicon dioxide etch mask; silicon micromachining; silicon nitride etch mask; substrate preheat temperature; surface morphology; thermal annealing; Aluminum; Annealing; Micromachining; Semiconductor films; Semiconductor thin films; Silicon; Sputter etching; Sputtering; Temperature dependence; Temperature distribution;
Conference_Titel :
Electrotechnical Conference, 2006. MELECON 2006. IEEE Mediterranean
Conference_Location :
Malaga
Print_ISBN :
1-4244-0087-2
DOI :
10.1109/MELCON.2006.1653096
