Reactive Ion Etching of III-V Materials with Ch sub 4 / H sub 2 Mixtures

Reactive ion etching of III-V materials with CH sub 4 /H sub 2 mixtures, an interesting alternative to traditional Cl-containing chemistries, shows promise in applications to optoelectronic device fabrication. GaAs, AlGaAs, InGaAs, InGaAsP, InP and related materials can be etched at room temperature with good anisotropy, and without some of the corrosion and environmental complications associated with Cl sub 2 and CCl sub 2 F sub 2. An overview of the field will be given with specific examples provided from our work on InP and InGaAsP. Mechanisms of etching and anisotropy will be discussed, as determined from studies of the surface chemistry and mass spectrometric sampling of neutral species in the plasma. The extent of physical and electrical damage to the etched surfaces, as determined by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, Schottky barrier measurements and electrochemical capacitance-voltage profiles, will also be discussed.