• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.564-568
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• 2003

The etching of Au thin films have been performed in an inductively coupled CF$_4$/Cl$_2$/Ar plasma. The etch rates were measured as CF$_4$ contents added from 0 to 30 % to Cl$_2$/Ar plasma, of which gas mixing ratio was fixed at 20%. Other parameters were fixed at an rf power of 700 W, a dc bias voltage of 150 V, a chamber pressure of 15 mTorr, and a substrate temperature of 3$0^{\circ}C$. The highest etch rate of the Au thin film was 3700 $\AA$m/min at a 10% additive CF$_4$ into Cl$_2$/Ar plasma. The surface reaction of the etched Au thin films was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. XPS analysis indicated that Au reacted with Cl and formed Au-Cl, which is hard to remove on the surface because of its high melting point. The etching products could be sputtered by Ar ion bombardment.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.144-148
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• 2012

In this work, we investigated to the etching characteristics of $TiO_2$ thin film and the selectivity using the inductively coupled plasma system. The etch rate and the selectivity were obtained with various gas mixing ratios. The maximum etch rate of $TiO_2$ thin film was 61.6 nm/min. The selectivity of $TiO_2$ to TiN, and $TiO_2$ to $SiO_2$ were obtained as 2.13 and 1.39, respectively. The etching process conditions are 400 W for RF power, -150 V for DC-bias voltage, 2 Pa for the process pressure, and $40^{\circ}C$ for substrate temperature. The chemical states of the etched surfaces were investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Its analysis showed that the etching mechanism was based on the physical and chemical pathways in the ion-assisted physical reaction.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.640-646
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• 2003

The nanoprobe based on lithography, mainly represented by SPM based technologies, has been recognized as potential application to fabricate the surface nanostructures because of its operational versatility and simplicity. The objective of the work is to suggest new mastless pattern fabrication technique using the combination of machining by nanoindenter and KOH wet etching. The scratch option of the nanoindenter is a very promising method for obtaining nanometer scale features on a large size specimen because it has a very wide working area and load range. Sample line patterns were machined on a silicon surface, which has a native oxide on it, by constant load scratch (CLS) of the Nanoindenter with a Berkovich diamond tip, and they were etched in KOH solutions to investigate chemical characteristics of the machined silicon surface. After the etching process, the convex structure was made because of masking effect of the affected layer generated by nano-scratch. On the basis of this fact, some line patterns with convex structures were fabricated. Achieved patterns can be used as a mold that will be used for mass production processes such as nanoimprint or PDMS molding process. All morphological data of scratch traces were scanned using atomic force microscope (AFM).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.162-171
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• 2021

Dry etching of copper thin films is performed using high density plasma of ethylenediamine (EDA)/hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)/Ar gas mixture. The etch rates, etch selectivities and etch profiles of the copper thin films are improved by adding HFIP to EDA/Ar gas. As the EDA/HFIP concentration in EDA/HFIP/Ar increases, the etch rate of copper thin films decreases, whereas the etch profile is improved. In the EDA/HFIP/Ar gas mixture, the optimal ratio of EDA to HFIP is investigated. In addition, the etch parameters including ICP source power, dc-bias voltage, process pressure are varied to examine the etch characteristics. Optical emission spectroscopy results show that among all species, [CH], [CN] and [H] are the main species in the EDA/HFIP/Ar plasma. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate the formation of CuCN compound and C-N-H-containing polymers during the etching process, leading to a good etch profile. Finally, anisotropic etch profiles of the copper thin films patterned with 150 nm scale are obtained in EDA/HFIP/Ar gas mixture.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.199-204
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• 2012

$SF_6$ gas is widely used for dry etching process of semiconductor and display fabrication process. But $SF_6$ gas is considered for typical greenhouse gas for global warming. So it is necessary to research relating to $SF_6$ alternatives reducing greenhouse effect in semiconductor and display. $C_3F_6$ gas is one of the promising candidates for it. We studied about etch characteristics by performing Reactive Ion Etching process of dry etching and reduced gas element exhausted on etching process using absorbent Zeolite 5A. $Si_3N_4$ thin film was deposited to 500 nm with Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition and we performed Reactive Ion Etching process after patterning through photolithography process. It was observed that the etch rate and the etched surface of $Si_3N_4$ thin film with Scanning Electron Microscope pictures. And we measured and compared the exhausted gas before and after the absorbent using Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrophotometry.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.349-353
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• 2016

We prepared a number of reaction-bonded silicon carbides (RBSCs) made from various mixing ratios of raw SiC particles, and investigated their microstructure and etch characteristics by Reactive Ion Etch (RIE). Increasing the amount of $9.5{\mu}m$-SiC particles results in a microstructure with relatively coarser Si regions. On the other hand, increasing that of $2.6{\mu}m$-SiC particles produces much finer Si regions. The addition of more than 50 wt% of $2.6{\mu}m$-SiC particles, however, causes the microstructure to become partially coarse. We also evaluated their etching behaviors in terms of surface roughness (Ra), density and weight changes, and microstructure development by employing Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) techniques. During the etching process of the prepared samples, we confirmed that the residual Si region was rapidly removed and formed pits isolating SiC particles as islands. This leads to more intensified ion field on the SiC islands, and causes physical corrosion on them. Increased addition of $2.6{\mu}m$-SiC particles produces finer residual Si region, and thus decreases the surface roughness (Ra.) as well as causing weight loss after etching process by following the above etching mechanism.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.217-222
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• 2014

In order to improve the heat efficiency of the general residential boiler, we performed an experiment of condensation heat transfer to air pre-heating exchanger adhered to the condensing boiler. In this study, surface roughness was imposed on the surface of stainless steel by etching. And in order to evaluate the heat transfer performance on each plate, the counter flow heat exchanger fabricated with polycarbonate in used. As a result, on etching treated plate's overall heat transfer coefficient is higher than the original plate. And etching treated plate during 60 seconds with etchant is the to average 15% compared to bare stainless steel. And we studied the heat transfer enhancement factor through the analysis of surface characteristics using AFM.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2020

Fresnel zone plates have been widely used in many applications, such as x-ray telescopes, microfluorescence, and microimaging. To obtain an x-ray Fresnel zone plate, many fabrication methods, such as electron-beam etching, ion-beam etching and chemical etching, have been developed. Fresnel zone plates fabricated by these methods will inevitably lead to some nonideal factors, which have an impact on the focusing characteristics of the zone plate. In this paper, the influences of these nonideal factors on the focusing characteristics of the zone plate are studied systematically, by numerical simulations based on scalar diffraction theory. The influence of the thickness of a Fresnel zone plate on the absolute focusing efficiency is calculated for a given incident x-ray's wavelength. The diffraction efficiency and size of the focal spot are calculated for different incline angles of the groove. The simulations of zone plates without struts, with regular struts, and with random struts are carried out, to study the effects of struts on the focusing characteristics of a zone plate. When a Fresnel zone plate is used to focus an ultrashort x-ray pulse, the effect of zone-plate structure on the final pulse duration is also discussed.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.321-331
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mechanical and acid treatment on enamel surfaces for the retention of pit and fissure sealants and evaluate the presence of a prismless layer. The etch pattern produced on enamel from immature and mature premolar teeth extracted with varying period of acid etching using 37% phosphoric acid was examined using a scanning electron microscope(SEM). The composition of each groups was evaluated using an energy dispersive x-ray(EDX) spectroscopy. The result of present study can be summarized as follows: 1. Prismless layer was commonly observed on the fissure enamel in young and mature premolar. 2. There were no differences in micro-structure and etching pattern on fissure enamel between the young and the mature premolar. 3. The most effective etching pattern for retention of pit and fissure sealant was observed in 60 seconds of etching time and no apparent difference of etching pattern was found among 15, 30, and 45 seconds of etching time which showed non-retentive etching patterns. 4. The etching pattern obtained by grinding enamel surface with bur followed by 60 seconds of etching was similar to that of 60 seconds of etching without any pretreatment of fissure surface. 5. Type 2 etching pattern was commonly found on fissure enamel in both young and mature premolar. 6. The calcium content and P/Ca ratio in fissure enamel between the young and the mature premolar were significantly different(P<0.05). But content of calcium, phosphate and P/Ca ratio on various regions of fissure enamel in both young and mature premolar did not showed any difference. Based on these results, prismless layer may negatively influence the retention of pit and fissure sealants. Therefore, the mechanical removal of the prismless layer by grinding prior to etching or by prolonged etching time of enamel within the fissure system should result in an improved bonding of a pit and fissure sealant.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.224-232
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• 2000

Aluminum metal process in surface micromachining enables to fabricate Al electrodes or Al structures, which improve electrical characteristics by reducing contact- and line-resistance or makes the whole process to be simple by using oxide as sacrificial layer. However, it is not possible to use conventional sacrificial layer etching process, because HF solution attacks aluminum as well as sacrificial oxide. The mixed solution of BHF and glycerine as an alternative shows the adequate properties to meet with this end. The exact etching properties, however, are sensitively depends on the geometry of the released structure, because the most etching process of sacrificial layer proceeds to the lateral direction in narrow space. Also, the surface roughness of aluminum affects to the etching characteristics. This paper reports experimental results on the effect of microstructure and surface roughness of aluminum to the etching properties. Considering these effects, we propose the optimized etching condition, which can be used practically for the fabrication of aluminum electrodes and microstructures by using standard surface micromachining process without modification or additional process.