Etching

During plasma etching, what is the phenomenon called in which conductors acting as antennas, such as long wires, collect charge and damage the gate oxide they connect to?

  1. AARDE
  2. BDIBL
  3. CAntenna effect (plasma charging damage)
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Answer: C. Antenna effect (plasma charging damage)

Conductors exposed to plasma collect charge, and when it flows as current through the gate oxide they are connected to, the oxide degrades or breaks down. The larger the conductor area, the greater the effect, so layouts have antenna rules limiting the ratio of wire area to gate area.

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More Etching questions

  1. Which is a characteristic of wet etching of silicon with potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution?
  2. Which is a characteristic of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching equipment?
  3. Which metric indicates how small the variation in etch rate is across the wafer?
  4. After the etch endpoint is detected, what is it called to continue etching for a set time to ensure the film is removed across the whole wafer?
  5. What is a mask of nitride, carbon or similar material called, used when photoresist alone cannot survive as a mask, such as when etching deep holes?