Low-temperature dry etching of tungsten,dielectric, and trilevel resist layers on GaAs

Dry etching of common masking materials used in GaAs device technology, was examined down to temperatures of –30°C. The etch rates of SiN_x, SiO₂, and W in SF₆/Ar are reduced below 0°C, but the anisotropy of the etching is improved at low temperature. Microwave enhancement of the SF₆/Ar discharges produces increases in etch rates of several times at 25°C, but much lower increases at –30°C substrate temperature. The underlying GaAs surface shows increased S and F coverage after low-temperature etching, but these species are readily removerd either by anex-situ wet chemical cleaning step or an in-situ H₂ plasma exposure. Photoresist etching is less sensitive to temperature, and anisotropic profiles are produced between –30 and +60°C in pure O₂ discharges.