Plasma Damage Effects on Sio2 Thin Films Determined by Nanoindenter under Various Etching Conditions Using Acp Source

In this study, an etching system with an adaptively coupled plasma source was employed in the accelerated ion bombardment of TEOS SiO2 thin film and measurements of the plasma damage of the surface were performed using a nanoindenter and via scanning probe microscopy under various etching conditions. As the plasma source power and bias power increased from 800 to 1200 W and from 600 to 1200 W, respectively, the surface hardness of the film increased by approximately 1 GPa compared to that before plasma etching; the value changed from 9.51 to 9.72 GPa and from 9.51 to 9.79 GPa, respectively, at a maximum penetration depth of 140 nm. These results can be explained as the combined effects of accelerated ion bombardment and plasma heating during plasma etching.