Investigation on etching characteristics of Pd thin films using CH3COOH/Ar gas

Abstract Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching of Pd thin films with TiN hard masks was carried out in a CH 3 COOH/Ar gas mixture. The addition of CH 3 COOH to Ar gas decreased the etch rate but a good etch profile with a high degree of anisotropy was obtained at 50% CH 3 COOH/Ar. Variations in the etch parameters showed that high inductively coupled plasma power and dc-bias voltage improved the etch profile. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy results revealed that the Pd films in CH 3 COOH/Ar gas followed the sputtering etch mechanism assisted by the oxidation and sidewall protection provided by polymer films.