Molecular dynamics simulation on selective etching of alpha-quartz and amorphous quartz substrate using low-energy argon ion bombardment model in dry etching process

AHA Manap and K Mohamed, JOURNAL OF MICRO-NANOLITHOGRAPHY MEMS AND MOEMS, 14, 033505 (2015).

DOI: 10.1117/1.JMM.14.3.033505

We investigated the physical sputtering of low-energy argon bombardment onto alpha-quartz and amorphous quartz substrate using dynamics simulations. We reported the effects of etching selectivity, the effect of surface temperature, T-s, and the effect of incident energy, E-i on sputtering yield. The second generation charge-optimized many body (COMB10) potential was utilized to model the interatomic potential of quartz substrates. Simulations were conducted at incident energies of E-i = 50, 100, and 150 eV and substrate temperatures of T-s = 300, 500, and 800 K. alpha-quartz shows higher sputtering yield compared to amorphous quartz at any given incident energy, E-i and substrate temperature, T-s. alpha-quartz has also produced more stoichiometric yield compared to amorphous quartz. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

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