Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP RIE)

Designed to deliver high etch rates, high selectivity and low damage processing

PlasmaPro 100 Cobra ICP

Utilises a high-density inductively coupled plasma to achieve fast etch rates

PlasmaPro 100 Cobra GaAs VCSEL

Our leading ICP etching system and solution for reliable volume VCSEL production

Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP RIE)

ICP RIE:
- This is an advanced processing technique that provides high etch rates, excellent selectivity, and minimal damage to materials during fabrication.
- This method ensures precise profile control, as the plasma can be sustained at low pressures, making it ideal for applications requiring high precision.
Cobra® ICP sources:
- The Cobra® ICP sources are designed to produce a uniform, high-density plasma, which can operate effectively under low-pressure conditions.
- These sources feature a separate RF generator that independently controls the substrate DC bias, enabling precise regulation of ion energy.
- This independent control allows for tailoring the etching process to achieve optimal results that meet specific application or material requirements.

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Key benefits of ICP RIE

Unique wide temperature range electrode from -150 ºC to +400 ºC, range of process solutions across an extensive variety of materials and devices
High etch rates achieved by high ion density (>1011 cm³) and high radical density
Source designed for excellent cross wafer uniformity
Control over selectivity and damage achieved by low ion energy
Excellent profile control with high density of reactive species at low pressure processing
Independent control of the ion energy through separate substrate DC bias control

Features
Applications

Features of ICP RIE

Separate RF and ICP generators provide separate control over ion energy and ion density, enabling high process flexibility
Chemical and ion-induced etching
Can also be run in RIE mode for certain low etch rate applications

Can be used for deposition in ICP-CVD mode
High conductance pumping port provides high gas throughput for fastest etch rates
Electrostatic shield eliminates capacitive coupling, reduces electrical damage to devices, reduces chamber particles
Wafer clamping and helium cooling as standard, providing excellent temperature control with the option of a wide temperature range

ICP etching of a InP showing smooth sidewalls and clean etched surface

Applications of ICP RIE

Gallium nitride (GaN) etch for LEDs or lasers and power devices
Vertical indium phosphide (InP) waveguides with smooth etch surfaces
Non-selective gallium arsenide (GaAs)/aluminium gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), achieving smooth sidewalls for vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL)
Precise VCSEL mesa etching with excellent etch depth control
Highly selective GaAs/AlGaAs for optoelectronics
Oxide etching for waveguides
Failure analysis applications, removing:
- Isotropic polyimide and isotropic nitride (passivation),
- Anisotropic oxide (IMD/ILD)
- Low-κ oxide
- Al and Cu
- Backside bulk Si

ICP Etching of SiO2 waveguide using a Cr mask

ICP etching of SiO₂ waveguide using a Cr mask

Featured ICP RIE products

PlasmaPro 100 Cobra ICP RIE

The PlasmaPro 100 Cobra ICP RIE system utilises a high-density inductively coupled plasma to achieve fast etch rates. The process modules offer excellent uniformity, high-throughput, high-precision and low-damage processes for wafer sizes up to 200 mm, supporting a number of markets including, GaAs & InP laser optoelectronics, microLEDs & metalenses, SiC & GaN power electronics/RF and MEMS & sensors.

High etch rate and high selectivity
Low damage etch and high repeatability processing
Single wafer load lock or clusterable with up to 5 process modules
He backside cooling for optimum temperature control
Wide temperature range electrode, -150 °C to 400 °C
Compatible with all wafer sizes up to 200 mm
Rapid change between wafer sizes
In-situ chamber cleaning and end-pointing

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Features
Application

Key features of PlasmaPro 100 Cobra ICP RIE

Delivers reactive species to the substrate, with a uniform high conductance path through the chamber - Allows a high gas flow to be used while maintaining low chamber pressure, which provides wide process windows for advanced application development
Wide temperature range electrode, that can either be cooled by a fluid re-circulating chiller to 20 °C* and liquid nitrogen to -150 °C, or resistively heated to 400 °C - An optional blow out and fluid exchange unit can automate the process of switching modes, and 20 °C to -150 °C transition can take as little as 10 mins
A fluid-controlled electrode fed by a re-circulating chiller unit - Excellent substrate temperature control
ICP source sizes of 65 mm or 300 mm - 300 mm source delivers outstanding process uniformity up to 200 mm wafers
Wafer clamping with He backside cooling - Optimum wafer temperature control
Wafer size - up to 200 mm
ICP source sizes available - 65 mm and 300 mm
Temperature range - From -150 °C up to 400 °C
Cluster with - up to 5 modules including technologies such as ALD, PECVD, ion beam etch and ion beam deposition

*dependent on chiller option selected.

Applications for PlasmaPro 100 Cobra ICP RIE

Extensive library of III-V etch processes
NbN and Ta for quantum devices
Compound semiconductor applications:
- Solid State Lasers InP etch
- VCSEL GaAs/AlGaAs etch
- Power electronic/RF SiC and GaN etch
MicroLEDs and metalenses
Extensive library of metal etch process: Al, Cr, Ni etc
SiOx and SiO₂ etch
Fused silica and quartz etch
Si etch
SiO₂ and SiNx hard mask etch

Optimised GaAs VCSEL process

ICP etch solutions for VCSEL applications

PlasmaPro 100 Cobra is our leading ICP etching system and solution for reliable volume VCSEL production.

Specially designed for VCSEL production manufacturing
Superior process uniformity
Cost-effective solution with photo resist and hard mask
Precise control of profile angle for excellent CD control
Extremely-low footing for enhanced etching depth control
Powered by our proprietary PTIQ software

Designed for high volume manufacturing

As VCSEL shipment volume increases, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology enables its customer to improve yield and drive manufacturing cost down.

Our systems are well proven, with over 90% uptime and processes that are guaranteed to ensure rapid startup during installation.

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Benefits
Applications

Key benefits of PlasmaPro 100 Cobra GaAs VCSEL

Market-leading surface finish on mesa sidewall with no residue and no roughness
Precise control of profile angle to enable excellent CD control and support control over aperture dimensions
Extremely-low footing to deliver enhanced control over etching depth and more precise definition of end layer
Cost-effective solution with high process quality delivered using photo resist and hard mask

Applications for PlasmaPro 100 Cobra GaAs VCSEL

VCSEL is a technology of choice for applications where compact size, high beam stability and low power consumption matters.

We applied our processing knowledge to enable device cost and performance and maximise production of good die per day.

VCSELs are used in Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR), enabling autonomous vehicles to detect distances and movement. Other applications of VCSEL is in 3D sensing for facial, object and gesture recognition, and biometric payments.

LiDAR

Biometric payment

Face ID

Gesture recognition

GaAs VCSEL manufacturing process

Simplified process flow. Orange processes show solutions covered by Oxford Instruments' technology. ICP Etching is covered by Plasmafab Cobra GaAs VCSEL.

Endpoint

Endpoint techniques enable a tighter distribution of etching depth to a target layer by allowing for run-run etch variations as well as variations in the incoming material target thicknesses.

Maintenance & serviceability

Pre-emptive maintenance

Pre-emptive maintenance reminder based on hardware component usage data, e.g valve action. Prevent excessive downtime
Automated daily, weekly and monthly tasks

Ease of maintenance

Automated maintenance activity through recipes
Chamber cleaning guards (protects the tools from particles when a physical clean occurs)
90-degree lid opening (enables a significant improvement of access for maintenance of the tools)

Service repairs

PTIQ SEMI E95 compliant software providing remote diagnostic enabling quick and easy fault diagnosis and resolution
Service engineer mode for rapid fault tracking, allowing for comprehensive and clear I/O view

Yield

One of the first to market with uniform process for 150 mm wafers
Endpointing contributes to increased yield.

PTIQ software

Our PTIQ system software has been designed to deliver an exceptional level of responsive system control, reliability and repeatability for Oxford Instruments customers. It will optimise system and process performance in the Lab or Fab, with different levels of software available to suit facility requirements.

SEMI E95 compliant to facilitate rapid, error-free process setup
Automated daily, weekly, and monthly checks to optimise uptime

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Highly-configurable, flexible systems: Multiple cluster options

Platforms may be clustered to combine technologies and processes with either cassette or single wafer loading options. Hexagonal or square transfer chamber configurations are available.

Cobra single-cassette cluster

Cobra twined-cassette cluster

Global customer support

Oxford Instruments is committed to providing a comprehensive, flexible and reliable global customer support. We offer excellent quality service throughout the life of your system.

Remote diagnostics software provides quick and easy fault diagnosis and resolution.
Support contracts are available to suit the budget and situation.
Global spares in strategic locations for quick response.

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NEW: PTIQ software

PTIQ is the latest intelligent software solution for PlasmaPro and Ionfab processing equipment.

Exceptional level of responsive system control
Optimise system and process performance
Different levels of software to suit your requirements
Brand new intuitive layout and design

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Explore our comprehensive technical training courses

At Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, we offer a wide range of technical training courses designed to suit all skill levels and needs.

Level 1 (Introductory): New system users for all platforms
Level 2 (Intermediate): Equipment and maintenance training for all platforms
Level 3 (Advanced): for Plasma, ion beam and ALD systems
Specialist technical modules: process and handler technical training for all platforms

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