Pulsed mode atomic layer etching of ScAlN using Cl2/C2H4/Ar
In this work, a pulsed mode atomic layer etching for scandium aluminum nitride (ScAlN) thin films was proposed. Atomic-level precision control over ion-assisted etching and dynamic by-product desorption was achieved by developing a Cl2 + C2H4/Ar cyclical etching process. The introduction of C2H4 etching gas effectively suppresses surface residues originating from ScCl3. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis reveals negligible changes in the atomic composition during the etching process, while atomic force microscopy characterization demonstrates improved post-etch surface smoothness, with a root mean square roughness of 0.204 nm. This work provides valuable insights into low damage gate trench etching for ScAlN-based devices.
Authors
- Jiaqi Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9968-7714)
- Sen Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5980-3161)
- Sheng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4965-442X)
- Xinhua Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6592-7515)
- Xinyu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0854-8559)
- Xiaojuan Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6742-5415)
- Wei Ke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0218-9102)
- Xiaoqiang He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6384-3517)
- Yingkui Zheng
- Xinguo Gao
- Hongling Xiao
- Zhaojia Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3783-8964)
- Kaiyu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8805-1839)
- Jianchao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3239-1160)
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Semiconductors (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Applied Physics Letters
- Published
- 2025-08-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0282582
- Primary Topic
- Semiconductor materials and devices
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China