Ion Beam Etching & Milling (IBE)

Ion Beam Etching (or milling) is achieved by directing a beam of charged particles (ions) at a substrate with a suitably patterned mask in a high vacuum chamber. It enables highly-directional beams of neutral ions to control over the sidewall profile as well as radial uniformity optimisation and feature shaping during nanopatterning. Tilted features can be created by the unique ability to tilt the sample altering the direction of impact of the ion beam. Ion beam etching can be applied in two ways: using inert ions for a physical etching or milling process, or using RIBE for reactive ion species to increase material etching with a chemical/reactive component.

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Diagram showing ion beam etching ibe technology with Ar, Cl2, CF4 and CHF3

Highlights

Allows beam energy and ion flux to be independently controlled
Process takes place in a low pressure working environment
Produces anisotropic etching
Provides means for all known materials to be etched
Allows angled profile control thanks to a variable etch beam angle relative to sample/mask surface
RIBE enables higher etching rates and higher selectivity etching of various materials through reactive species eg. Indium Phosphide (InP) etching with chlorine

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Features & Benefits
Hardware

Key Benefits

Flexible configuration for advanced research applications
Unmatched uniformity and process reproducibility for production applications
Flexible wafer handling capability – single wafer load lock or cassette-to-cassette robotic handler
Accurate end point detection options – SIMS or OES
Substrate holder allows:
- 0 – 20 RPM on-axis rotation
- 5 – 300°C fluid-cooled or heated
- He backside gas for efficient heat transfer from/to substrate

Etch ion source features

15cm or 30cm RF Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) ion source, allowing use of reactive gases and low maintenance
Three grid assemblies for greater collimation/control of ion beam profile and low maintenance
Grid designs/materials tailored to specific etching requirements
Filamentless DC plasma bridge neutraliser (PBN) for low maintenance and use in reactive gas environments

	Ionfab 300
Ion Etching Source	150mm or 300mm for up to 4" and 8" respectively
Etching Area	Up to 200mm diameter or 150mm square
Platen Speed	Up to 20rpm
Platen Tilt Angle	65º to 90º relative to beam direction
Platen Heat	Embedded heaters up to 300ºC with PID control
Platen Cooling	Fluid coolant 5ºC to 60ºC with He backside (up to 50Torr) for substrate cooling/heating

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Ion Beam Etching Systems

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