Etching Properties of ZnS:Mn Thin Films in an Inductively Coupled Plasma

ZnS is an attractive material for future optical and electrical devices since it has a direct and wide band gap to provide blue emission at room temperature. In this study, inductively coupled BCl3/Ar plasma was used to etch ZnS:Mn thin films The maximum etch rate of 164.2 nm/min for ZnS:Mn was obtained at a BCl3(20)/Ar(80) gas mixing ratio, an rf power of 700 W, a dc bias voltage of -200 V, a total gas flow of 20 sccm, and a chamber pressure of 1 Pa. The etch behaviors of ZnS:Mn thin films under various plasma parameters showed that the ZnS:Mn were effectively removed by the chemically assisted physical etching mechanism. The surface reaction of the ZnS:Mn thin films was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The XPS analysis revealed that Mn had detected on the surface ZnS:Mn etched in BCl3/Ar plasma.