Reaction of atomic fluorine with silicon

Abstract

The etch rate of Si with F atoms was measured by the use of F₂ microwave plasma over a range of discharge pressures between 2.7×10⁻² and 17 Pa. Fluorine atom concentration in the plasma was determined over the same pressure range by means of both gas‐phase titration and actinometry using Ar gas. A Si surface etched at 1.0×10⁻¹, 5.3×10⁻¹, 1.3, and 5.3 Pa was analyzed with XPS without exposing the surface to room air. A linear relation was obtained between the Si etch rate and the F atom concentration at discharge pressures between 2.7×10⁻² and 2.7 Pa. The reaction probability of F atoms with Si to yield SiF₄ was determined from the linear relation to be 0.1 for a Si surface at about 300 K. When the discharge pressure was higher than 1.3 Pa, the surface became rather strongly oxidized by O atoms resulting from residual gases. This surface oxidation results in a slight saturation of the Si etch rate at about 10 Pa.