Photoassisted etching of silicon dioxide films

Theoretical approaches to resolving the problem of photoassisted etching of silicon dioxide as the most widely used protective layer in microelectronics are presented. A model of donor-acceptor interaction providing for the desolvation of the F− ion involved in SiO2 photoetching is proposed. The etchant compositions were optimized, and the effect of the most important factors on the etching process was examined. It has been shown that the maximal photoetching rate is 0.42 μm/min and the chemical contribution to etching is small, being about 0.02 μm/min.