US3994793A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Reactive ion etching of aluminum
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1975-05-22
•
Granted: 1976-11-30
•
Expires: 1995-05-22
Abstract
Abstract A process for etching aluminum wherein a masked layer of aluminum, supported on a substrate, is exposed to a plasma formed by imposing an RF voltage across at least two spaced electrodes in an ambient including a gas selected from the group consisting of CCl 4 , Cl 2 , Br 2 , HCl. The resultant conditions provide a reactive environment where the aluminum is bombarded with chlorine or bromine ions. The aluminum reacts with chlorine or bromine ions to form an aluminum chloride or bromide compound, which is volatile at the temperature of the sputtered substrate.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph M. Harvilchuck
- 👤 Joseph S. Logan
- 👤 William C. Metzger
- 👤 Paul M. Schaible
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 19:45
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/61; H10P50/00; H10P50/20; H10P50/24; H10P50/242
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
99 words
A process for selective removal of aluminum from the surface of a substrate having a dielectric coating and an overlying blanket layer of aluminum comprising: forming a masking layer over said aluminum layer that leaves exposed selected areas of said aluminum layer, exposing said masked substrate to a glow discharge in a low pressure ambient comprising a gas selected from the group consisting of CCl 4 , HCl Cl 2 , CBr 4 , HBr, Br 2 , Cl 4 and l 2 and mixtures thereof, said ambient having a pressure in the range of 5 to 50 milli-torr.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
99 words
A process for selective removal of aluminum from the surface of a substrate having a dielectric coating and an overlying blanket layer of aluminum comprising: forming a masking layer over said aluminum layer that leaves exposed selected areas of said aluminum layer, exposing said masked substrate to a glow discharge in a low pressure ambient comprising a gas selected from the group consisting of CCl 4 , HCl Cl 2 , CBr 4 , HBr, Br 2 , Cl 4 and l 2 and mixtures thereof, said ambient having a pressure in the range of 5 to 50 milli-torr.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said glow discharge is generated with an RF power source.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said ambient is comprised of argon and CCl 4 , the ratio of the partial pressure of argon to the partial pressure of CCl 4 being in the range of 0 to 9, said glow generated by an RF power density in the range of 0.2 to 0.4 watt/cm 2 of said substrate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said ambient further includes an inert gas selected from the group consisting of He and argon at a partial pressure from ten to eighty-five percent of the total pressure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 4 wherein said total pressure of said ambient is in the range of 5 to 25 milli-torr.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 5 wherein the power density expended in generating said glow discharge is in the range of 0.1 to 2 watt/cm 2 of said substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 5 wherein the power density expended in generating said glow discharge is in the range of 0.2 to 0.4 watt/cm 2 of said substrate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 4 wherein said ambient includes CCl 4 .
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said inert gas is argon.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3477936A
Cited
US3615956A
Cited
US3654108A
Cited
US3676317A
Cited
US3847776A
Cited
US3795557A
Cited
US3867216A
Cited
US3880684A
Cited
US3951709A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-11-30 | 1980-05-31 | 1980-11-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-11-30 | 1984-05-31 | 1984-11-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-11-30 | 1988-05-31 | 1988-11-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |