Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching of titanium thin films using a Cl2/Ar gas

Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching of titanium thin films patterned with a photoresist using Cl-2/Ar gas was examined. The etch rates of the titanium thin films increased with increasing the Cl-2 concentration but the etch profiles varied. In addition, the effects of the coil rf power, dc-bias voltage and gas pressure on the etch rate and etch profile were investigated. The etch rate increased with increasing coil rf power, dc-bias voltage and gas pressure. The degree of anisotropy in the etched titanium films improved with increasing coil rf power and dc-bias voltage and decreasing gas pressure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the formation of titanium compounds during etching, indicating that Ti films etching proceeds by a reactive ion etching mechanism. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.