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Diamond Etching Beyond 10 μm with Near-Zero Micromasking.
Marie-Laure Hicks1, Alexander C Pakpour-Tabrizi1, Richard B Jackman2
1London Centre for Nanotechnology & Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, 17-19 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AH, London, UK.
Scientific Reports
|November 1, 2019
Summary
A new etching process improves diamond fabrication for high-performance devices. This technique overcomes challenges in patterning diamond, enabling smoother, deeper features for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Engineering
Background:
- Diamond's exceptional properties necessitate advanced fabrication techniques for high-performance devices.
- Etching and patterning diamond beyond one micron is challenging due to its hardness and chemical resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel fabrication technique for high-quality diamond etching and patterning.
- To address micromasking issues in aluminum masks during plasma etching.
Main Methods:
- A cyclic Argon/Oxygen (Ar/O2) - Argon/Chlorine (Ar/Cl2) Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching (ICP RIE) process was developed.
- Optimization of O2 proportion in plasma and introduction of a preferential cleaning step were key.
Main Results:
- High-quality, smooth diamond features up to 10.6 μm were achieved.
- Average etched surface roughness was 0.47 nm.
- Diamond etch rate reached 45 nm/min with a selectivity of 16.9:1.
Conclusions:
- The developed ICP RIE process effectively overcomes micromasking issues and enables deep etching of diamond.
- This technique facilitates the fabrication of high-performance diamond-based devices.
