Dry etching of silicon carbide

Claim 1

A method of etching a silicon carbide target, the method comprising: applying a plasma generating potential across two electrodes; generating a plasma between the two electrodes by introducing a gas between the electrodes, and wherein the gas is easily dissociated substantially into its elemental species in the plasma and wherein substantially all of the dissociated species from the gas are volatile in the plasma and wherein at least one of the dissociated species is reactive with silicon carbide; and positioning a silicon carbide target to be etched on one of the electrodes, and wherein the electrode is formed from a material with a low sputter yield and wherein the electrode material is reactive with the dissociated species; and reacting the plasma with the silicon carbide to thereby etch the silicon carbide while the reaction of the dissociated species with the electrode, and the electrode's low sputter yield prevents contamination of the target with either sputtered materials from the supporting electrode or unreacted dissociated species from the plasma.

Claim 2

A method of etching a silicon carbide target, the method comprising: applying a plasma generating potential across two electrodes; generating a plasma between the two electrodes by introducing a gas between the electrodes, and wherein the gas is easily dissociated substantially into its elemental species in the plasma and wherein substantially all of the dissociated species from the gas are volatile in the plasma and wherein at least one of the dissociated species is reactive with silicon carbide; and positioning a silicon carbide target to be etched on one of the electrodes, and wherein the electrode is formed from a material with a low sputter yield and wherein the electrode material is reactive with the dissociated species; and reacting the plasma with the silicon carbide to thereby etch the silicon carbide while the reaction of the dissociated species with the electrode, and the electrode's low sputter yield prevents contamination of the target with either sputtered materials from the supporting electrode or unreacted dissociated species from the plasma.

Claim 21

A method of etching of a silicon carbide target comprising: applying a plasma generating potential across an anode and a carbon cathode; generating a plasma between the anode and the carbon cathode by introducing nitrogen trifluoride therebetween; positioning a silicon carbide target to be etched on the carbon cathode whereby the carbon cathode exhibits a low sputter yield and is reactive with dissociated fluorine from the nitrogen trifluoride; and reacting the plasma with the silicon carbide to thereby etch the silicon carbide while the reaction of dissociated fluorine with the carbon cathode, and the cathode's low sputter yield prevents contamination of the target with either sputtered carbon materials from the cathode or polymerized fluorine species from the plasma.

Claim 22

A method of etching of a silicon carbide target comprising: applying a plasma generating potential across an anode and a carbon cathode; generating a plasma between the anode and the carbon cathode by introducing nitrogen trifluoride therebetween; positioning a silicon carbide target to be etched on the carbon cathode whereby the carbon cathode exhibits a low sputter yield and is reactive with dissociated fluorine from the nitrogen trifluoride; and reacting the plasma with the silicon carbide to thereby etch the silicon carbide while the reaction of dissociated fluorine with the carbon cathode, and the cathode's low sputter yield prevents contamination of the target with either sputtered carbon materials from the cathode or polymerized fluorine species from the plasma.

Claim 27

A method of reactive ion beam etching of a silicon carbide target comprising: applying a plasma generating potential and a direct current bias across two electrodes positioned in a source chamber; generating a reactive ion plasma between the two electrodes in the source chamber by introducing a gas which is easily dissociated into its elemental species in the plasma and wherein substantially all of the dissociated species are volatile in the plasma and wherein at least one of the species is reactive with silicon carbide; positioning a silicon carbide target in a target chamber on a support formed from a material with a low sputter yield and wherein the material reacts with the elemental species in the plasma to thereby prevent contamination of the target with either sputtered materials from the support or polymerized species from the plasma, and wherein the target chamber is in communication with the source chamber; and applying a negative bias to the target so that a reactive ion plasma beam is directed from the source chamber to the target chamber to thereby etch the silicon carbide target.

Claim 28

A method of reactive ion beam etching of a silicon carbide target comprising: applying a plasma generating potential and a direct current bias across two electrodes positioned in a source chamber; generating a reactive ion plasma between the two electrodes in the source chamber by introducing a gas which is easily dissociated into its elemental species in the plasma and wherein substantially all of the dissociated species are volatile in the plasma and wherein at least one of the species is reactive with silicon carbide; positioning a silicon carbide target in a target chamber on a support formed from a material with a low sputter yield and wherein the material reacts with the elemental species in the plasma to thereby prevent contamination of the target with either sputtered materials from the support or polymerized species from the plasma, and wherein the target chamber is in communication with the source chamber; and applying a negative bias to the target so that a reactive ion plasma beam is directed from the source chamber to the target chamber to thereby etch the silicon carbide target.

Claim 32

A method of patterning silicon carbide in the formation of electronic devices using reactive ion etching, the method comprising forming a masked pattern on a silicon carbide substrate; positioning the masked silicon carbide substrate as a target on a cathode in a reactive ion plasma system having an anode opposite the cathode; and applying a plasma generating potential and a direct current bias across the anode and cathode in the reactive ion system; generating plasma in the system by introducing a gas which is easily dissociated in the plasma and wherein substantially all of the dissociated species are volatile in the plasma and wherein at least one of the dissociated species is reactive with silicon carbide; wherein the cathode is formed from a material with a low sputter yield and wherein the material reacts with the dissociated species in the plasma to thereby prevent contamination of the target with either sputtered materials from the cathode or polymerized species from the plasma; and reacting the plasma with the silicon carbide substrate to thereby etch the silicon carbide.

Claim 33

A method of patterning silicon carbide in the formation of electronic devices using reactive ion etching, the method comprising forming a masked pattern on a silicon carbide substrate; positioning the masked silicon carbide substrate as a target on a cathode in a reactive ion plasma system having an anode opposite the cathode; and applying a plasma generating potential and a direct current bias across the anode and cathode in the reactive ion system; generating plasma in the system by introducing a gas which is easily dissociated in the plasma and wherein substantially all of the dissociated species are volatile in the plasma and wherein at least one of the dissociated species is reactive with silicon carbide; wherein the cathode is formed from a material with a low sputter yield and wherein the material reacts with the dissociated species in the plasma to thereby prevent contamination of the target with either sputtered materials from the cathode or polymerized species from the plasma; and reacting the plasma with the silicon carbide substrate to thereby etch the silicon carbide.