Robert Boschgmbh

Klaus Breitschwerdt

Franz Laermer

Volker Becker

Andrea Urban

Andrea Schilp

Bernd Kutsch

Roland Mueller-Fiedler

Andreas Kern

Andre Mueller

Nils Kummer

Frauke Driewer

Additional variants of the method of etching structures into an etching body, in particular recesses in a silicon body that are laterally defined in a precise manner by an etching mask, using a plasma, is described. In addition, the use of this method in the introduction of structures, in particular trenches having a high aspect ratio, into a dielectric layer or a dielectric base body and in a layer of silicon is described, isotropic underetching and/or isotropic, sacrificial-layer etching, in particular using fluorine radicals or a highly oxidizing fluorine compound such as ClF, being performed after the production of the structures in at least some areas in the case of the layer made of silicon.

Method of etching structures into an etching body using a plasma

A layer system and a method for producing the layer system are provided, the layer system having a silicon layer, on which at least regionally a passivating layer is superficially deposited, the passivating layer having a first, at least largely inorganic partial layer and a second, at least largely polymer partial layer. The method includes producing on the silicon layer, a first, inorganic partial layer, and producing on this first partial layer a second, polymer partial layer, which form the passivating layer. The production of the intermediate layer occurs in such a way that the intermediate layer in its surface area adjoining the first partial layer is composed as the first partial layer, and the intermediate layer in its surface area adjoining the second partial layer is composed as the second partial layer. The composition of the intermediate layer transitions, either continuously or in steps, from the composition corresponding to the first partial layer into the composition corresponding to the second partial layer.

Layer and system with a silicon layer and a passivation layer, method for production of a passivation layer on a silicon layer and use thereof

A method and a device suitable for its execution are provided for the anisotropic plasma etching of a substrate, especially a silicon element. The device has a chamber and a plasma source for generating a high-frequency electromagnetic alternating field and a reaction region for generating a plasma having reactive species inside the chamber, the reactive species being created by the action of the alternating field upon an etching gas, and a passivating gas that is especially simultaneously introduced but spatially separated from it. Furthermore, an arrangement is provided, by the use of which, in the reaction region, at least a first zone that has etching gas applied to it, and at least a second zone that has passivating gas applied to it, are defined. In addition to this, the device has a mixing region downstream from the reaction region, using which, reactive species generated from the etching gas in the first zone and reactive species generated from the passivating gas in the second zone are intermixed with each other before acting upon the substrate.

Device and method for anisotropic plasma etching of a substrate, particularly a silicon element

A method and device for implementing the method for anisotropically plasma etching a substrate (e.g., silicon body). The device has a chamber and plasma source for generating a high-frequency electromagnetic alternating field and a reaction region for generating a plasma having reactive species, within the chamber, that is generated by the action of the alternating field on etching gas and passivation gas introduced at the same time but spatially separated from it. An arrangement defines at least one first zone acted on by the etching gas and at least one second zone acted on by the passivation gas in the reaction region. The device has a mixing region downstream of the reaction region in which the reactive species generated from the etching gas in the first zone and the reactive species generated from the passivation gas in the second zone are blended before they act on the substrate.

Device and method for anisotropic plasma etching of a substrate, a silicon body in particular

A holding device including a holding element, on which a substrate is electrostatically fixed, positioned on a substrate electrode. In one configuration, a load body on the substrate electrode presses the holding element onto it, and is connected via a clamping device, which presses the former onto the substrate electrode, with a base, which supports the substrate electrode, the load body and the base being electrically insulated from the substrate electrode. In another configuration, the side of the holding element faces the substrate as an electrically insulating ferroelectric or piezoelectric material. Another configuration includes a device via which a liquid convection medium is feedable into a space formed by the holding element and substrate or is removable from there again. A method for supplying heat or dissipating heat from the back of a substrate to which heat is applied from the front, and which is held by the holding device.

Holding device, in particular for fixing a semiconductor wafer in a plasma etching device, and method for supplying heat to or dissipating heat from a substrate

A device and a method for etching a substrate, in particular a silicon body, by using an inductively coupled plasma. A high-frequency electromagnetic alternating field is generated using an ICP source, and an inductively coupled plasma composed of reactive particles is generated by the action of a high-frequency electromagnetic alternating field on a reactive gas in a reactor. In addition, a static or time-variable magnetic field is generated between the substrate and the ICP source, for which purpose at least two magnetic field coils arranged one above the other are provided. The direction of the resulting magnetic field is also approximately parallel to the direction defined by the tie line connecting the substrate and the inductively coupled plasma. Finally, a first component magnetic field is generated with a first magnetic field coil, and a second component magnetic field which is equally strong at an equivalent site is generated with a second magnetic field coil, the two component magnetic fields being oriented in opposite directions.

Device and method for etching a substrate by using an inductively coupled plasma

A method is provided for detecting an end point, a material transition or a boundary surface during the etching of a semiconductor element, a zone of the semiconductor element having non-homogeneous load carrier density and/or non-homogeneous load carrier polarity, particularly a p-n junction, which has an electrical voltage applied to it during etching, and an electrical current induced by it in this zone is measured, and reaching of this zone during etching is determined from a change in the electrical current. This method is suitable for the detection of the etching end point in gas phase etching, in particular with the aid of the etching gases ClFand/or BrF, or in the anisotropic plasma etching of silicon substrates. In addition, a method is provided for etching a semiconductor element using a gaseous etching medium, during which the speed of removal of the semiconductor element is set or changed via a setting of the polarity and/or the density of free load carriers in the semiconductor element. In addition, a device for etching a semiconductor element, which device is suitable for carrying out the two methods described above, is provided.

Method and device for providing a semiconductor etching end point and for detecting the end point

A method is proposed for producing three-dimensional structures, especially microlenses, in a substrate using an etching process, at least one original shape having a known original surface shape being present initially on the substrate in a plurality of places. The etching process has at least one first etching removal rate a and a second etching removal rate a which are material-dependent, and of which at least one is changeable as a function of time. The original shape is converted to a target shape by the etching process, the original surface shape of the original shape and the target surface shape of the target shape to be reached being known before the beginning of the etching process. In order to achieve the target surface shape, at least one of the etching rates a or a is set by a change of at least one etching parameter calculated before the beginning of the etching process as a function of the etching time.

Growing community of inventors

Filderstadt, Germany

Klaus Breitschwerdt