Precise Etching of Aluminum Conductors in the Technology of Switching Devices of Microsystem Engineering

An experimentally obtained precise technology for forming a controlled profile of aluminum conductive paths with the given resistance is presented. The technology is based on anisotropic plasma-chemical etching of aluminum in a BCl3–Cl2 gas mixture, followed by precise adjustment of the track resistance using the dry plasma-chemical method. It is shown that in order to ensure the highest quality plasma-chemical etching of aluminum with minimal underetching under the photoresist mask, with the minimal slope of the aluminum conductive path profile, and the absence of defects in the etching pattern and etched areas, it is necessary to use a multistage iterative technological process with technological operations of surface preparation before etching and operations of removing the polymer and photoresist after etching.