Dry etching and induced damage

More recent developments for better control and understanding of damage induced by dry etching are presented. Current low-damage dry etching techniques include decoupling of the chemical and physical fluxes and minimisation of ion impact, such as high-density plasmas and electron beam induced etching. From existing data, models are suggested to explain the effects of ion bombardment and chemical components on dry etching damage; the latter in particular for the compound semiconductors GaAs and SiGe. Future prospects are sketched, both for III-V and IV systems, for pushing the lateral dimensions beyond existing limits.