Plasma Etching of RuO₂ Thin Films

Abstract

Plasma etching of RuO 2 thin films was studied. It was shown that reactive ion etching employing CF 4 or O 2 plasma is effective in delineating RuO 2 fine patterns. The etching rate was 2∼5 times higher than that for sputter etching. A higher etching rate and good selectivity were achieved using O 2 plasma. This result can be explained by the difference in volatility of the respective reaction species.