Comparison of CH4/H2 and C2H6/H2 inductively coupled plasma etching of ZnO

CH₄/H₂-based discharges are attractive for dry etching of single crystal ZnO because of their non-corrosive nature. We show that substitution of C₂H₆ for CH₄ increases the ZnO etch rate by approximately a factor of 2 both with and without any inert gas additive. The C₂H₆/H₂/Ar mixture provides a strong enhancement over pure Ar sputtering, in sharp contrast to the case of CH₄/H₂/Ar. The threshold ion energy for initiating etching is 42.4 eV for C₂H₆/H₂/Ar and 59.8 eV for CH₄/H₂/Ar. The etched surface morphologies were smooth, independent of the chemistry and the Zn/O ratio in the near-surface region was unchanged within experimental error after etching with both chemistries. The plasma etching improved the band-edge photoluminescence intensity and suppressed the deep level emission from the bulk ZnO under our conditions, due possibly to removal of surface contamination layer.     

Elucidating surface properties of dry-etched ZnO using H2/CH4 and H2/CH4/Ar plasma

This paper reports a study of reactive ion etching (RIE) of n-ZnO in H₂/CH₄ and H₂/CH₄/Ar gas mixtures. Variables in the experiment were gas flow ratios, radio-frequency (rf) plasma power, and total pressure. Structural and electrical parameters of the etched surfaces and films were determined. Both the highest surface roughness and highest etching rate of ZnO films were obtained with a maximum rf power of 300 W, but at different gas flow ratios and working pressures. These results were expected because increasing the rf power increased the bond-breaking efficiency of ZnO. The highest degree of surface roughness was a result of pure physical etching by H₂ gas without mixed CH₄ gas. The highest etching rate was obtained from physical etching of H₂/Ar species associated with chemical reaction of CH₄ species. Additionally, the H₂/CH₄/Ar plasma treatment drastically decreased the specific contact and sheet resistance of the ZnO films. These results indicated that etching the ZnO film had roughened the surface and reduced its resistivity to ohmic contact, supporting the application of a roughened transparent contact layer (TCL) in light-emitting diodes (LEDs).     

High-density plasma etching of indium-zinc oxide films in Ar/Cl2 and Ar/CH4/H2 chemistries

The dry etching characteristics of transparent and conductive indium-zinc oxide (IZO) films have been investigated using an inductively coupled high-density plasma. While the Cl₂-based plasma mixture showed little enhancement over physical sputtering in a pure argon atmosphere, the CH₄/H₂/Ar chemistry produced an increase of the IZO etch rate. On the other hand, the surface morphology of IZO films after etching in Ar and Ar/Cl₂ discharges is smooth, whereas that after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar presents particle-like features resulting from the preferential desorption of In- and O-containing products. Etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar also produces formation of a Zn-rich surface layer, whose thickness (∼40 nm) is well-above the expected range of incident ions in the material (∼1 nm). Such alteration of the IZO layer after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar plasmas is expected to have a significant impact on the transparent electrode properties in optoelectronic device fabrication.     

Comparison of plasma chemistries for the dry etching of bulk single-crystal zinc-oxide and rf-sputtered indium-zinc-oxide films

The dry etching characteristics of bulk, single-crystal zinc-oxide (ZnO) and rf-sputtered indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) films have been investigated using an inductively coupled high-density plasma with different plasma chemistries. The introduction of interhalogens such as ICl, IBr, BI₃, and BBr₃ to the Ar plasma produced no enhancement of the ZnO and IZO etch rates with respect to physical sputtering in a pure argon atmosphere under the same experimental conditions. In these plasma chemistries, the etch rate of both materials increased with source power and ion energy, indicating that ion bombardment plays an important role in enhancing desorption of etch products. Except in Ar/CH₄/H₂ discharges, the ZnO etch rate was very similar to that of IZO, which indicates that zinc and indium atoms are driven by a similar plasma etching dynamic. CH₄/H₂-containing plasmas produced higher etch rates for IZO than for ZnO due to the preferential desorption of the group III etch products. Application of the CH₄/H₂/Ar plasma to the etching of deep features in bulk, single-crystal ZnO produced highly anisotropic profiles although some trenches were observed near the sidewalls.     

Absorption and line-broadening of 12C18O2 at 2.7 μm

Pressure broadening coefficients have been measured for ¹²C¹⁸O₂ at 2.7 μm broadened by buffer gas species CO₂, H₂, He, O₂, N₂, Ar, and Xe. The results, expressed as self-broadening efficiencies, are compared with data for other transitions from 1.6 to 10.4 μm.     

Photosynthesis of methanol and methane from CO2 and H2O molecules on a ZnO surface

The photochemical synthesis of CH₃OH and CH₄ from CO₂ and H₂O molecules was observed at 5°C by irradiating ZnO powder with visible light under high pressures of 25 to 35 kg/cm² of CO₂ gas. Under these conditions the water surrounding the ZnO surface is in the clathrate hydrate phase, and this is expected to regulate the surface OH groups and to enhance the interaction of the CO₂ molecules with the OH groups. The surface impurity levels originating from S, Si and P atoms, which are accumulated during the surface activation, play an essential role in the generation of free electrons and holes by visible light. Measurement of the photosurface conductance on the ZnO(101̄0) surface confirms the above facts. The best conversion efficiency was found to be about 6% with respect to reactant H₂O molecules using a 75 W Xe lamp.     

CH3OH在ZnO(0001)表面的光催化解离

本文利用266 nm波长的激光及程序升温脱附的方法研究了甲醇在ZnO(0001)表面的光催化反应. TPD结果显示部分的CH₃OH以分子的形式吸附在ZnO(0001)表面,而另外一部分在表面发生了解离. 实验过程中探测到H₂,CH₃^·,H₂O,CO,CH₂O,CO₂和CH₃OH这些热反应产物. 紫外激光照射实验结果表明光照可以促进CH₃OH/CH₃O^·解离形成CH₂O,在程序升温或光照的过程中它又可以转变为HCOO^-. CH₂OH_Zn与OH_ad反应在Zn位点上形成H₂O分子. 升温或光照都能促进CH₃O^·转变为CH₃^·. 该研究对CH₃OH在ZnO(0001)表面的光催化反应机理提供了一个新的见解.     

Dry etching of zinc-oxide and indium-zinc-oxide in IBr and BI3 plasma chemistries

The dry etching characteristics of bulk single-crystal zinc-oxide (ZnO) and RF-sputtered indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) films have been investigated using an inductively coupled high-density plasma in Ar/IBr and Ar/BI₃. In both plasma chemistries, the etch rate of ZnO is very similar to that of IZO, which indicates that zinc and indium atoms are driven by a similar plasma etching dynamics. IBr and BI₃-based plasmas show no enhancement of the etch rate over pure physical sputtering under the same experimental conditions. The etched surface morphologies are smooth, independent of the discharge chemistry. From Auger electron spectroscopy, it is found that the near-surface stoichiometry is unchanged within experimental error, indicating a low degree of plasma-induced damage.     

Direct-inelastic and trapping-desorption scattering of N2 and CH4 from Pt(111)

Angle and velocity distributions for supersonic chopped beams of N₂ and CH₄ scattered from clean close-packed Pt(111) surfaces are reported. For specular direct-inelastic scattering N₂ and CH₄ velocity distributions can be characterized by empirical relationships used for Ar scattering. For instance, for specular scattering the following relation is found for Ar, N₂ and CH₄: 〈KE_f〉 = A(KE_i) + B(2kT_s), where 〈KE_f〉 is the average final kinetic energy, KE_i is the incident kinetic energy and T_s is the surface temperature. The beam and surface temperature independent coefficients A and B are, respectively: Ar 0.87, 0.17; N₂ 0.79, 0.19 and CH₄ 0.84, 0.25. Unlike Ar, N₂ desorbs from Pt with a Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution near the surface temperature. Qualitatively the trapping probabilities for these molecules on Pt(111) are ordered: Xe > N₂ > CH₄> Ar.     

Research of microstructural characteristics on nanocrystalline diamond by microwave plasma CVD

In this study, the nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films were carried out by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with CH₄/Ar/H₂ gas concoction on Si substrate at moderate temperatures. The characteristics of NCD films were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, optical emission spectroscopy and optical contact angle meter. The analytical results revealed that C₂ radial was the dominant species in the deposited process. From TEM observation, the NCD films were formed via the etching of hydrocarbons and a small amount of H₂ content additive into gas mixture has improved the aggregation of the nucleation film to form the NCD films. The more hydrophobic surfaces imply that NCD films are the potential biomaterial in the application of article heart valve or stent.     

Pulsed laser deposition of metals in various inert gas atmospheres

The changes in the properties of laser deposited metal thin films were investigated in different inert gas atmospheres (He, Ne, Ar and Xe). With increasing inert gas pressure, the reduction of particle energy is accompanied by a strong increase of the deposition rate (especially in He atmosphere), a transition from compressive to tensile stress, and changes in structure and texture. This is explained by a reduction of surface mobility of the deposited particles, a decrease of implantation, resputtering and shot-peening effects. At high gas pressures, deposition conditions similar to sputtering or even thermal deposition are obtained. PACS 68.55.-a; 81.15.Fg     

Surface characterization study of a Pd/Co3O4 methane oxidation catalyst

A surface characterization study using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS) has been performed on a 5 wt.% Pd/Co₃O₄ methane oxidation catalyst before and after exposure to a mixture of CH₄ and O₂ in N₂ at 250 °C for a period of 6 days. The primary peaks observed in the XPS survey spectra are the Co 2p, Pd 3d, O 1s and C 1s, along with Co, Pd and O Auger peaks. High-resolution Pd 3d spectra reveal that Pd exists on the surface predominantly as PdO, with no apparent change in chemical state during reaction. High-resolution XPS Co 2p and O 1s spectra reveal an accumulation of CoOOH and a depletion of CoO in the near-surface region during reaction. ISS analysis with intermittent 1-keV Ar⁺ sputtering was used to obtain depth profiles from the catalyst before and after reaction. The results indicate that the Pd/Co concentration ratio decreases with sputtering and that this ratio is larger for the as-prepared catalyst indicating that morphological changes occur during reaction. The ISS depth profile spectra obtained from the catalyst after reaction indicates the presence of an oxyhydroxide layer throughout the near-surface region. This observation is consistent with the XPS data indicating accumulation of hydroxide and oxyhydroxide species at the surface during reaction.Based on these data and the results of related studies, a reaction mechanism is proposed. In this mechanism, methane dissociatively chemisorbs to form a surface methoxy species and CoOOH. The remaining hydrogen atoms are stripped from the methoxy species leaving an active adsorbed C species which reacts with surface oxygen and a hydroxyl group to form an adsorbed bicarbonate ion which then decomposes to form CO₂ and a surface hydroxyl group. These hydroxyl groups also react to form H₂O and then more O₂ adsorbs dissociatively at the vacant sites.     

Is the critical Reynolds number universal?

This paper is devoted to checking whether the critical Reynolds number is universal in identical conditions for the flow of different fluids. The laminar-turbulent transition in a circular pipe flow has been tested experimentally. The flows of inert gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe), molecular gases (N₂, CO, CO₂, SF₆), and two similar liquids (H₂O, D₂O) have been tested. A considerable, up to 40%, difference in critical Reynolds numbers was observed. The possible reasons for nonuniversality of the critical Reynolds number are discussed.     

Dependences of the surface and the optical properties on the O2/O2 + Ar flow-rate ratios for ZnO thin films grown on ZnO buffer layers

ZnO active layers on ZnO buffer layers were grown at various O₂/O₂ + Ar flow-rate ratios by using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Atomic force microscopy images showed that the surface roughnesses of the ZnO active layers grown on ZnO buffer layers decreased with decreasing O₂ atmosphere, indicative of an improvement in the ZnO surfaces. The type of the ZnO active layer was n-type, and the resistivity of the layer increased with increasing O₂ atmosphere. Photoluminescence spectra from the ZnO active layers grown on the ZnO buffer layers showed dominant peaks corresponding to local levels in the ZnO energy gap resulting from oxygen vacancies or interstitial zinc vacancies, and the peak positions changed significantly with the O₂/O₂ + Ar flow rate. These results can help improve understanding of the dependences of the surface and the optical properties on the O₂/O₂ + Ar ratio for ZnO thin films grown on ZnO buffer layers.     

CH4或CH4+Ar介质阻挡放电中的离子能量和类金刚石膜制备

实验上，利用纯CH₄及CH₄+Ar在几百帕量级气压下的介质阻挡放电 制备类金刚石膜，研究了气压p与放电间隙d乘积(pd值)以及Ar的体积百分比R_Ar 对膜硬度的影响.理论上，从离子与气体分子的双体碰撞出发，利用较高折合电场强度E/n( 电场强度与粒子数密度之比)下离子及中性粒子速度分布的双温模型、离子在其他气体中运 动时遵守的朗之万方程及离子在混合气体中运动时遵守的布兰克法则，对CH⁺4和Ar⁺离子能量进行了分析.结果表明：1)CH₄介质阻挡 放电中，pd值由1.862×10³Pa mm降低至2.66×10²Pa mm时，CH+₄能量由5.4eV增加到163eV，类金刚石膜硬度由2.1GPa提高到17.6GPa ; 2) 保持总气压p=100Pa,放电间距d=5mm不变，在CH₄中加入Ar气，当R_Ar 由20％增加至83%时，CH⁺₄的能量由69eV增加到92eV,而Ar＋能量由93eV降低至72eV.虽然CH⁺₄能量增加有助于提高 沉积膜硬度，但当R_Ar大于67%，高强度Ar⁺轰击会导致膜表面石墨 化，膜硬度降低.为了验证离子能量理论模型的正确性，实验测量了H₂介质阻挡 放电中离子能量，测量结果与理论计算之间最大相对误差为16%. 关键词： 离子能量 介质阻挡放电 类金刚石膜     

Nanometer-scale etching of CoFeB thin films using pulse-modulated high density plasma

Pulse-modulated inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching of nanometer-scale patterned CoFeB thin films was performed in CH₄/O₂/Ar gas mixture. As the pulse on-off duty ratio decreased, the etch selectivity of CoFeB/TiN slightly increased and the etch profiles were improved. Moreover, the etch selectivity of the CoFeB films and the etch profiles were improved with the increase in the pulse frequency of the plasma. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that during the pulse-modulated etching in the CH₄/O₂/Ar gas mixture, some polymeric layers were formed on the CoFeB films, which helped prevent the lateral etching and increased the etch selectivity. Consequently, nanometer-scale etching of CoFeB thin films patterned with TiN hard masks could be achieved using pulsed-modulated plasma in CH₄/O₂/Ar gas mixture.     

The effect of temperature on collision induced intersystem crossing in the reaction of CH2 with H2

Laser flash photolysis of ketene at 308 nm, coupled with H atom vacuum ultraviolet laser induced fluorescence, was used to determine the branching ratio for the CH₃ + H channel (1a) in the reaction of CH₂¹A₁ (¹CH₂) with H₂, over the temperature range 300–500 K. This reaction channel competes with collision induced intersystem crossing (CIISC) to form triplet methylene, CH₂³B₁ (³CH₂) (channel 1b). The branching ratio for H formation, k_1a/k₁, was determined by measuring the relative H atom yield in three time resolved measurements of H: (i) in ketene, H₂ mixtures, where H is exclusively formed by reaction 1a, (ii) in ketene, H₂, NO mixtures ([NO] [H₂]), where H is formed at short times by 1a and at longer times by ³CH₂ + NO, following 1b, and (iii) in ketene, He, NO mixtures ([NO] [He]), where H is exclusively formed from ³CH₂ + NO, following deactivation of singlet to triplet methylene by He. k_1a/k₁ was found to increase from 0.85 at 300 K to unity at 500 K, with the yield of CIISC decreasing from 0.15 to zero. This is the first measurement of the temperature dependence of the rate coefficient for CIISC in a reactive system. The rate coefficient for CIISC with an inert gas increases with T. It has been suggested that the fractional yield of CIISC will increase with temperature in reactive systems, thus reducing the rate coefficient for reaction at high temperature, with significant consequences for combustion systems. The present experiments demonstrate that this is not the case for reaction with H₂ and implies a different CIISC mechanism for reactive vs inert collision partners.     

Dry etching of ITO by magnetic pole enhanced inductively coupled plasma for display and biosensing devices

The dry etching of indium tin oxide (ITO) layers deposited on glass substrates was investigated in a high density inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. This innovative low pressure plasma source uses a magnetic core in order to concentrate the electromagnetic energy on the plasma and thus provides for higher plasma density and better uniformity. Different gas mixtures were tested containing mainly hydrogen, argon and methane. In Ar/H₂ mixtures and at constant bias voltage (−100 V), the etch rate shows a linear dependence with input power varying the same way as the ion density, which confirms the hypothesis that the etching process is mainly physical. In CH₄/H₂ mixtures, the etch rate goes through a maximum for 10% CH₄ indicating a participation of the radicals to the etching process. However, the etch rate remains quite low with this type of gas mixture (around 10 nm/min) because the etching mechanism appears to be competing with a deposition process. With CH₄/Ar mixtures, a similar feature appeared but the etch rate was much higher, reaching 130 nm/min at 10% of CH₄ in Ar. The increase in etch rate with the addition of a small quantity of methane indicates that the physical etching process is enhanced by a chemical mechanism. The etching process was monitored by optical emission spectroscopy that appeared to be a valuable tool for endpoint detection.     

Etching and oxidation of InAs in planar inductively coupled plasma

The surface of InAs (1 1 1)A was investigated under plasmachemical etching in the gas mixture CH₄/H₂/Ar. Etching was performed using the RF (13.56 MHz) and ICP plasma with the power 30–150 and 50–300 W, respectively; gas pressure in the reactor was 3–10 mTorr. It was demonstrated that the composition of the subsurface layer less than 5 nm thick changes during plasmachemical etching.A method of deep etching of InAs involving ICP plasma and hydrocarbon based chemistry providing the conservation of the surface relief is proposed. Optimal conditions and the composition of the gas phase for plasmachemical etching ensuring acceptable etch rates were selected.     

等离子体增强化学气相沉积法制备立方氮化硼薄膜过程中的表面生长机理

利用感应耦合等离子体增强化学气相沉积法以Ar，He，N₂和B₂H₆为反应气体制备了高纯立方氮化硼薄膜.用四极质谱仪对等离子体状况进行了系统的分析，发现B₂H₆完全被电离而N₂只是部分被电离.H₂和过量的N₂在等离子体中生成大量中性的H原子和活化的N^*₂，它们与表面的相互作用严重地阻碍了立方 关键词： 立方氮化硼薄膜 等离子体 质谱