SEM/TEM of the Month
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 12/1/2003
 |
Let it Snow! This 1500× magnification shows a pattern that was generated during a silicon etching using the Bosch process. The process achieves etch with SF6 plasma, and passivation of silicon is done with C4F8. These two steps can be repeated several times to etch to greater depths in silicon wafers. The process can be used to make MEMS, extreme storage capacitors and other devices. But sometimes things go wrong for no apparent reason. In this case, this crystal-like pattern appeared rather than the desired pattern. "During this experiment, it was winter and it was cold outside, but we had no snow and ice in our machine. Or did we?" joked Frans Holthuysen, an electron microscopist at Philips Research (Eindhoven, Netherlands), who submitted this SEM.
Please send submissions for SEM/TEM of the Month to Peter Singer, Editor-in-Chief, 58 Summer St., Andover, MA 01810 USA.
E-mail: sieditor@aol.com
