Specific Process Knowledge/Etch/DRIE-Pegasus

The DRIE Pegasus at Danchip

The SPTS Pegasus in the Danchip cleanroom

The DRIE Pegasus is a state-of-art silicon dry etcher that offers outstanding performance in terms of etch rate, uniformity etc. It uses the so-called Bosch process to achieve excellent control of the etched features. Click here for more fundamental information of the system.

The user manual, quality control procedure and the results may all be found on the DRIE/Pegasus LabManager page.

In August 2011 we introduced a new set of rules regarding the loading of wafers. In you were trained prior to this, you can find more information here.

The instrument was opened for users in April 2010 when the acceptance test was signed. This was based on the performance of five standard recipes (A, B, C, D and SOI) that are further examined below. The acceptance test report is found here.

Process information

Describing a process recipe on the Pegasus may sometimes be difficult because of the great flexibility of the instrument. A compact and precise notation is therefore required for the recipes. Click here to find a short description of the official SPTS notation.

The standard processes: Processes A, B, C, D and SOI

The instrument was accepted on the basis of the performance of 5 processes. These standard processes are described below.

Most commonly used processes on DRIE-Pegasus

Process name	Type	Purpose	Conditions during original runs				Best usage
			Feature	Mask material	Etch load	Comments
Process A	Bosch	Fast etch	80 µm trench	Photo resist	12-13 % on 6" wafer
Process B	Bosch	Fast etch	30 µm diameter via	Photo resist	12-13 % on 6" wafer

How to read the SPTS notation on process recipes

To understand the SPTS short hand notation on process recipes look at two examples from the etch cycle of step1 of the Process A described below:

1. The Platen power has the setting 120 >> 140 (1.5s) 45 - it is to be interpreted as:
   1. In the first 1.5 seconds of the every cycle the platen power has a value that is ramped (indicated by >>) from 120 W initially to 150 W in the end
   2. During the remainder of the cycle the platen power is kept constant at 45 W.
2. The Pressure has the setting 25 (1.5 s) 90 >> 150 - it is to be interpreted as:
   1. In the first 1.5 seconds the pressure is constant at 25 mtorr.
   2. During the remainder of the cycle the pressure has i higher value that is ramped from 90 initially to 150 mtorr in the last etch cycle.

Process A

Process A is labelled Large trench (80μm wide) 150μm depth. In the acceptance test the process was run on a 150 mm SPTS wafer with 12-13 % etch load.

Process A: Recipe, specifications and results

Process B

Process A is labelled Via (30μm diameter) 100μm depth. In the acceptance test the process was run on a 150 mm SPTS wafer with 12-13 % etch load.

Process B: Recipe, specifications and results

Process C

Process A is labelled Nano silicon etch. In the acceptance test the process was run on a 100 mm Danchip wafer with a test pattern of a series of lines and dots with sizes ranging from 30 nm to 300 nm. The etch load was extremely high, approaching 100 %.

Process C: Recipe, specifications and results

Process D

Process D is labelled Micro stamp etch.

In the acceptance test the process was run on a 100 mm wafer with 50 % etch load.

Process D: Recipe, specifications and results

SOI etch

The SOI etch uses the Low frequency (LF) platen generator to minimize the notching at buried stop layers such as the BOX layer in a SOI wafer.

SOI etch: Recipe, specifications and results

Other processes

Nanoetching

Nanoetch

Sloped sidewalls

For injection molding purposes

User manuals

• The Danchip user manual from LabManager is found >Here<.
• The user manual provided by SPTS can be found here >HERE<

Hardware information

Hardware Information - Overview.

Hardware Information - Detailed.

The Advantages the Pegasus has over existing Si etchers.

Robot Handling System Information .

Process applications

The acceptance test for the DRIE-Pegasus system, April 2010.

MEMS in Aerospace.

Bio Medical.

MEMS in Energy.

Nanotechnology.

Packaging Applications.

General Applications.

Further info:

FAQ (Under construction)