Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Frédéric Le Roux

Nicolas Posseme

A method for etching at least one layer of a gallium nitride (GaN)-based material is provided, the method including: providing the GaN-based layer having a front face; and at least one cycle including the following successive steps: modifying, by implanting hydrogen (H)- and/or helium (He)-based ions, at least some of a thickness of the GaN-based layer to form in the layer at least one modified portion extending from the front face, the implanting being carried out from a plasma, the modifying by implanting being carried out such that the modified portion extends from the front face and over a depth greater than 3 nm; oxidizing at least some of the modified portion by exposing the layer to an oxygen-based plasma, to define in the layer, at least one oxidized portion and at least one non-oxidized portion; and etching the oxidized portion selectively at the non-oxidized portion.

Method of etching a layer based on a III-V material

A method is provided for etching a dielectric layer disposed on at least one layer based on gallium nitride (GaN), the dielectric layer being formed by a material based on one from SiNand SiO, the method including: first etching of the dielectric layer on only part of a thickness to define therein a partial opening and a residual portion situated in line with the opening and having another thickness; implanting ions in line with the opening over a thickness greater than the another thickness to modify a material of the dielectric layer over an entire thickness of the residual portion, and modify a material of the base layer of GaN; removing the residual portion by a second etching, selective of the modified dielectric layer with respect to the nonmodified material and with respect to the modified layer based on GaN; and annealing of the layer based on GaN.

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Grenoble, France

Frédéric Le Roux