In situ investigation of silicon surface cleaning and damage by argon electron cyclotron resonance plasmas

An argon electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma process has been optimized to successfully remove oxide films from a silicon surface at elevated temperatures leaving smooth Si surfaces devoid of an amorphized silicon damage layer. Etch rates of over 10 nm/min have been achieved at ion energies below 100 eV. The low ion energy (−50 V dc bias) and high ion fluxes (1×1016 ions/cm2 s) represent a significant improvement from conventional Ar ion sputter cleaning processes. In situ spectroscopic ellipsometry and ex situ atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the surface condition during and after cleaning to establish a 700 °C argon plasma cleaning process for silicon. Real-time single wavelength ellipsometry was used to study the cleaning kinetics, determine the optimal end point, and elucidate a controversy about the level of damage in the argon ECR plasma cleaning process.