CN110364441B - Etching method for lithium niobate material - Google Patents

Etching method for lithium niobate material Download PDF

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CN110364441B
CN110364441B CN201810320107.2A CN201810320107A CN110364441B CN 110364441 B CN110364441 B CN 110364441B CN 201810320107 A CN201810320107 A CN 201810320107A CN 110364441 B CN110364441 B CN 110364441B
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lithium niobate
etching
gas
process gas
niobate substrate
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CN110364441A (en
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张海苗
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Beijing Naura Microelectronics Equipment Co Ltd
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Beijing Naura Microelectronics Equipment Co Ltd
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    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01LSEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/04Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
    • H01L21/34Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies not provided for in groups H01L21/0405, H01L21/0445, H01L21/06, H01L21/16 and H01L21/18 with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
    • H01L21/46Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/428
    • H01L21/461Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/428 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
    • H01L21/465Chemical or electrical treatment, e.g. electrolytic etching

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
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Abstract

The invention provides an etching method for a lithium niobate material, which comprises the following steps: providing a lithium niobate substrate; providing a process gas, the process gas comprising a chlorine-based gas; and ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma, and etching the lithium niobate substrate. The etching method for the lithium niobate material can improve the etching rate and ensure that the etched surface is smooth and flat.

Description

Etching method for lithium niobate material
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, in particular to an etching method for a lithium niobate material.
Background
The lithium niobate crystal is a crystal material which is relatively difficult to etch, and a general lithium niobate waveguide structure is prepared by ion beam bombardment, mechanical processing, acid solution wet etching and other methods, but the methods have great limitations on preparing a high-quality lithium niobate waveguide with a submicron size and a smooth etched surface. Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) etching technology in dry etching is increasingly applied to manufacturing of optoelectronic devices due to the advantages of high control precision, good large-area etching uniformity, less pollution and the like.
In the prior art, CF is adopted4Or SF6When F-based gas is used for etching, lithium fluoride (LiF) which is not easy to volatilize can be generated, the etching rate is reduced, the etched surface is rough, and meanwhile, the problem of surface photoresist pasting can be caused by the high radio frequency source power used for improving the etching rate.
Therefore, how to increase the etching rate of lithium niobate and make the etched surface smooth becomes a problem to be solved urgently.
Disclosure of Invention
In order to solve at least one of the above technical problems, the present invention provides an etching method for a lithium niobate material. The etching method for the lithium niobate material can improve the etching rate and ensure that the etched surface is smooth and flat.
To achieve the above object, as one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an etching method for a lithium niobate material, wherein the etching method includes:
providing a lithium niobate substrate;
providing a process gas, the process gas comprising a chlorine-based gas;
and ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma, and etching the lithium niobate substrate.
Optionally, the process gas further comprises an auxiliary process gas, and in the step of providing the process gas, a flow rate of the auxiliary process gas is greater than or equal to a flow rate of the chlorine-based gas.
Optionally, the chlorine-based gas comprises chlorine gas and/or boron trichloride gas.
Optionally, the auxiliary process gas comprises argon and/or helium.
Optionally, in the step of ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the pressure of the process chamber is in a range of 5mT to 20 mT.
Optionally, in the step of ionizing the process gas to obtain a plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the radio frequency power applied to the coil for ionizing the process gas is in a range of 600W to 1500W; the range of the radio frequency power loaded to the lower electrode for bearing the lithium niobate substrate is 100W-500W.
Optionally, in the step of ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the temperature of the lower electrode ranges from 30 ℃ to 50 ℃.
Optionally, the etching method further includes:
pre-treating the process chamber prior to the step of providing a lithium niobate substrate.
The invention has the beneficial technical effects that:
according to the etching method for the lithium niobate material, provided by the invention, the lithium niobate substrate is etched by adopting the mode of mixing chlorine-based gas with auxiliary process gas and utilizing the inductive coupling plasma etching technology, the etched lithium niobate substrate has a smooth etching surface, and the etching method greatly improves the etching rate compared with the prior art.
Drawings
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a scanning electron microscope image of an etching result obtained by etching the lithium niobate material by using the etching method provided by the comparative example;
fig. 2 is a scanning electron microscope picture of an etching result obtained by etching the lithium niobate material by using the etching method provided by the embodiment of the invention;
fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of the etching method for the lithium niobate material provided by the present invention.
Detailed Description
The following describes in detail embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.
As one aspect of the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, there is provided an etching method for a lithium niobate material, wherein the etching method includes:
in step S101, a lithium niobate substrate is provided;
in step S102, providing a process gas, the process gas including a chlorine-based gas;
in step S103, the process gas is ionized to obtain a plasma, and the lithium niobate substrate is etched.
As described above, in step S101, the lithium niobate substrate to be etched is transferred into the process chamber through the carrier plate and placed on the carrying surface of the lower electrode. Wherein, a mask pattern is arranged on the lithium niobate substrate.
In step S102, the process gas is introduced into the process chamber, and the process gas includes a chlorine-based gas.
The lithium niobate substrate may be etched by the chloride ions in the chlorine-based gas. Specifically, in step S103, a radio frequency power supply loads power to an upper electrode coil, so that the upper electrode coil ionizes the chlorine-based gas in an inductively coupled manner to form a plasma of chloride ions in a plasma state, and the plasma-formed chloride ions chemically react with the lithium niobate substrate to achieve etching of the lithium niobate substrate.
Specifically, in step S103, the plasma-formed chloride ions chemically react with the lithium niobate substrate to generate chloride, whereas in the prior art, fluorine-based gas is usually used as the process gas, and then the plasma-formed fluoride ions chemically react with the lithium niobate substrate to generate fluoride, and since chloride is more volatile than fluoride, chloride is not easily deposited on the etched surface of the lithium niobate substrate during the etching process, which speeds up the etching rate compared with the prior art and makes the etched surface of the lithium niobate substrate smoother.
Therefore, compared with the prior art, the etching method provided by the invention effectively improves the etching rate and simultaneously enables the etched surface of the lithium niobate substrate to be smooth.
In the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, the process gas further includes an auxiliary process gas, and in the step S102 of providing the process gas, a flow rate of the auxiliary process gas is greater than or equal to a flow rate of the chlorine-based gas.
As described above, in step S102, the process gas is introduced into the process chamber, the process gas includes a chlorine-based gas and the auxiliary process gas, and the flow rate of the auxiliary process gas is ensured to be greater than or equal to the flow rate of the chlorine-based process gas, so as to ensure the smooth proceeding of the etching process, and the specific principle will be described in detail below.
In the present invention, the chlorine-based gas includes chlorine gas and/or boron trichloride gas; the auxiliary process gas comprises argon and/or helium.
As described above, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chlorine-based gas is selected as chlorine gas, the auxiliary process gas is selected as argon gas, and in step S102, the chlorine gas and the argon gas are introduced into the process chamber at a flow ratio of less than or equal to 1:1, so as to ensure that the etching is performed smoothly.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chlorine gas has a flow rate of 30sccm (standard-state cubic centrifuge per minute, volume flow rate unit, the same applies hereinafter), and the argon gas has a flow rate of 50 sccm.
Specifically, by performing step S103, as described above, power is applied to the upper electrode coil by the rf power source, so that the upper electrode coil ionizes the chlorine and the argon gas in an inductively coupled manner, forming plasma-formed chlorine ions and plasma-formed argon ions, and at the same time, power is applied to the lower electrode by the rf power source, so that a self-bias voltage is formed on the lower electrode, so as to attract the lithium niobate substrate located on the lower electrode carrying surface to be etched, including the plasma-formed chlorine ions and the plasma-formed argon ions. The self-bias voltage is formed by loading power on the lower electrode, so that the etching rate can be increased.
In addition, as described above, in step S102, argon gas is introduced into the process chamber, coupling discharge is performed after the upper electrode coil is powered on, the argon gas is ionized to form a plasma argon ion, and lithium chloride (LiCl), which is a reaction byproduct on the etched surface of the lithium niobate substrate, is formed by bombardment of the plasma argon ion to further accelerate the volatilization process of the lithium chloride, so that the lithium chloride, which is a reaction byproduct, is separated from the etched surface of the lithium niobate substrate and dissociated in the process chamber in an ion form, so as to be easily absorbed by a vacuum system, thereby ensuring smooth proceeding of the etching process, accelerating the reaction rate, smoothing the etched surface of the lithium niobate substrate, and improving the yield of products.
Further, compared with the prior art which adopts CF4Or SF6And when F-based gas is used for etching to generate lithium fluoride (LiF) which is not easy to volatilize, the generated by-product LiCl is easier to volatilize because chlorine-based gas is used as reaction gas in the etching method provided by the invention, so that the etching rate is ensured not to be influenced, and the problem of photoresist pasting on the surface of the lithium niobate substrate caused by high radio frequency power used for improving the etching rate is avoided.
It should be noted that the plasma including the argon ions may also physically bombard the etched surface of the lithium niobate substrate, so as to further increase the etching rate.
In the present invention, in step S103 of ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the pressure of the process chamber is in a range of 5mT to 20mT (millitorr, pressure unit, the same applies below).
As described above, during the execution of the etching process, the gas pressure in the process chamber is kept relatively stable, and specifically, in step S102, the process gas is introduced into the process chamber, and meanwhile, the gas including impurity particles generated by etching in the process chamber is sucked away by the vacuum system, so as to keep the dynamic balance between the gas inflow and the gas outflow, thereby ensuring that the gas pressure in the process chamber is relatively stable.
Optionally, as an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure in the process chamber is in a range of 5mT to 20mT, and in order to further optimize the etching result of the lithium niobate substrate, the pressure in the process chamber is preferably 10 mT.
In the invention, in the steps of ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the radio frequency power loaded to a coil for ionizing the process gas is 600W-1500W; the radio frequency power loaded to the lower electrode for bearing the lithium niobate substrate ranges from 100W to 500W.
As described above, as an optional embodiment of the present invention, when step S103 is executed, the rf power range loaded to the upper electrode coil is 600W to 1500W; the range of the radio frequency power loaded to the lower electrode is 100W-500W.
It should be noted that, in order to further optimize the etching result of the lithium niobate substrate, in the present invention, preferably, the radio frequency power loaded to the upper electrode coil is 800W; the RF power applied to the bottom electrode was 200W.
In the present invention, in step S103 of ionizing the process gas to obtain a plasma, and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the temperature of the lower electrode is 30 to 50 ℃.
As described above, in performing the step S103, the temperature of the process chamber is required to be 30-50 ℃ to obtain a fast etching rate, and in order to maximize the etching rate, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the process chamber is 40 ℃.
It should be noted that the parameters provided in the etching method provided by the present invention are particularly suitable for the case of using chlorine and argon as the process gases.
In the present invention, the process chamber is pretreated before the step S101 of providing a lithium niobate substrate.
As described above, before the lithium niobate substrate is transferred into the process chamber, the process chamber needs to be pre-cleaned, so as to avoid negative effects of impurity particles on the etching process in the subsequent etching process.
It should be noted that the precleaning is to perform plasma bombardment on the inner wall of the process chamber, the bottom electrode trench and other parts by using an inductively coupled plasma etching technology to remove impurities adhered in the process chamber.
Examples
In step S101, the lithium niobate substrate provided with the strip mask pattern is disposed in a process chamber of an etching apparatus;
in step S102, a process gas is introduced into the process chamber, wherein the process gas includes chlorine gas and argon gas, the flow rate of the chlorine gas is 30sccm, the flow rate of the argon gas is 50sccm,
in step S103, ionizing the process gas to obtain a plasma, and etching the lithium niobate substrate;
the pressure in the process chamber is 10mT, the radio-frequency power loaded to the upper electrode coil is 800W, the radio-frequency power loaded to the lower electrode is 200W, the temperature of the lower electrode is 40 ℃, the etching time of the lithium niobate substrate is 10min, the etching depth is 754nm, and the etching rate is 75.4 nm/min.
Comparative example
In step S101, the lithium niobate substrate provided with the strip mask pattern is disposed in a process chamber of an etching apparatus;
in step S102, a process gas is introduced into the process chamber, wherein the process gas includes carbon tetrafluoride gas and argon gas, the flow rate of the carbon tetrafluoride gas is 10sccm, the flow rate of the argon gas is 50sccm,
in step S103, ionizing the process gas to obtain a plasma, and etching the lithium niobate substrate;
the pressure in the process chamber is 5mT, the radio-frequency power loaded to the upper electrode coil is 800W, the radio-frequency power loaded to the lower electrode is 150W, the temperature of the lower electrode is 40 ℃, the etching time of the lithium niobate substrate is 24min, the etching depth is 948nm, and the etching rate is 40 nm/min.
FIG. 1 is a scanning electron microscope picture obtained by scanning an etched lithium niobate substrate by using an SU 8010 scanning electron microscope with the parameters of the above comparative example by using an etching method for a lithium niobate material provided by the prior art;
fig. 2 is a scanning electron microscope picture obtained by scanning the etched lithium niobate substrate with the SU 8010 scanning electron microscope with the parameters of the above embodiment by using the etching method for lithium niobate materials provided by the present invention;
as can be seen from comparison between fig. 1 and fig. 2, the etching surface of the lithium niobate substrate obtained by etching the lithium niobate substrate by using the etching method provided by the present invention is smoother, and in addition, the etching time of the lithium niobate substrate sample shown in fig. 2 is 10min, and the etching depth is 754nm, and the etching rate is 75.4 nm/min. In the preferred embodiment of the prior art, the etching time of the lithium niobate substrate sample shown in fig. 1 is 24min, the etching depth is 948nm, and the etching rate is 40nm/min, that is, the maximum value of the etching rate which can be realized by the prior art is 40nm/min, so that the etching rate of the etching method provided by the present invention is obviously improved compared with the prior art.
In summary, the etching method for the lithium niobate material provided by the invention adopts a mode of chlorine-based gas mixed auxiliary process gas and utilizes an inductively coupled plasma etching technology to etch the lithium niobate substrate, the etched lithium niobate substrate has a smooth etching surface, and the etching method greatly improves the etching rate compared with the prior art.
It will be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments adopted to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.

Claims (5)

1. An etching method for a lithium niobate material, characterized by comprising:
providing a lithium niobate substrate;
providing a process gas, wherein the process gas comprises a chlorine-based gas and an auxiliary process gas, and the flow rate of the auxiliary process gas is greater than or equal to that of the chlorine-based gas;
ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma, and etching the lithium niobate substrate to ensure that the etched lithium niobate substrate has a smooth etching surface and improve the etching rate; wherein:
in the steps of ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the radio frequency power loaded to a coil for ionizing the process gas is 600W-1500W; the range of the radio frequency power loaded to the lower electrode for bearing the lithium niobate substrate is 100W-500W;
in the step of ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, the temperature range of the lower electrode is 30-50 ℃.
2. The etching method according to claim 1, wherein the chlorine-based gas includes chlorine gas and/or boron trichloride gas.
3. The etching method according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary process gas comprises argon and/or helium.
4. The etching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the step of ionizing the process gas to obtain plasma and etching the lithium niobate substrate, a pressure of a process chamber is in a range of 5mT to 20 mT.
5. The etching method according to claim 4, further comprising:
pre-treating the process chamber prior to the step of providing a lithium niobate substrate.
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CN111740009B (en) * 2020-06-17 2022-05-24 上海新硅聚合半导体有限公司 Piezoelectric wafer surface treatment method based on ion beam enhanced corrosion
CN115506032A (en) * 2021-06-23 2022-12-23 江苏鲁汶仪器有限公司 Method for dry etching lithium niobate

Citations (2)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0727911A (en) * 1993-07-12 1995-01-31 Sumitomo Electric Ind Ltd Microfabrication method for dielectric optical material
CN102738339A (en) * 2012-07-04 2012-10-17 杭州士兰明芯科技有限公司 Lithium niobate substrate provided with pattern structure and manufacturing method thereof

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US9525398B1 (en) * 2014-05-27 2016-12-20 Sandia Corporation Single crystal micromechanical resonator and fabrication methods thereof

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0727911A (en) * 1993-07-12 1995-01-31 Sumitomo Electric Ind Ltd Microfabrication method for dielectric optical material
CN102738339A (en) * 2012-07-04 2012-10-17 杭州士兰明芯科技有限公司 Lithium niobate substrate provided with pattern structure and manufacturing method thereof

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