Etching characteristics of chromium thin films by an electron beam induced surface reaction

In this paper, we demonstrate the etching of chromium (Cr) film on quartz through a surface reaction induced by an electron beam and enhanced with XeF 2 gas. We have studied the influences of the electron beam energy, the gas flow rate and the specimen composition on the etch rate. The electron beam energy has significant influence on the etch rate. The etch rate made by an electron beam of 20 keV is five times higher compared to that made by a beam of 10 keV. The XeF 2 gas flow rate shows little effect on the etch rate when the gas pressure is higher than 2 × 10 −6 Torr. The structure and grain size of the Cr film did not show any apparent change under exposure to XeF 2 or when irradiated by an electron beam, while the composition of Cr has a significant effect on the etch process. The material removal of Cr induced by an electron beam means that it can be applied to the direct fabrication of microstructures on Cr films and that it solves the contamination problem in Cr mask repair.