A Study on Etching Parameters of a Reactive Ion Beam Etch for GaAs and InP

Abstract
Some etching characteristics for GaAs and InP with Cl2 gas using a reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) system have been studied. The employed etching gas was ionized by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) at a gas pressure of about 6×10-4 Torr; the applied microwave power was 300 W. The etch rate was measured as a function of the substrate temperature and the applied ion extraction voltage. At low temperatures, the etch rate of InP was proportional to the five halves of the extraction voltage. This agreed well with a theoretical consideration. The maximum etch rates for InP and GaAs were 2.0 and 1.2 µm/min, respectively, both at 200degC.