Dry etching of Pt/PbZrxTi1−xO3/Pt thin film capacitors in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP)

Dry etching of PbZrxTi1−xO3(PZT) and Pt thin films was studied with Cl2/C2F6/Ar gas in an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). The etch rates were investigated at various etching conditions including etch gas, coil RF power, DC bias, and gas pressure. For the etching of PZT film, chemical enhancement was found. Under etching conditions used in this study, the etch rate of 430 to 1500 Å/min was obtained for PZT film and the etch rate of Pt film was in the range of 120 to 1890 Å/min. Selectivity of PZT to Pt was controllable in the range of 0·32 to 6·17. For the fabrication of Pt/PZT/Pt thin film capacitors, the etching process using the conventional photolithography has been developed with high etch rates and good selectivities for both PZT and Pt films.