High etch rate gallium nitride processing using an inductively coupled plasma source

The ongoing development of III-nitride laser diode and light emitting diode fabrication has been made possible by dry etching techniques. Conventional wet etching of these materials has proved difficult and while Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) plasma sq;stems can be used-as an alternative, the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) offers an enhanced dry etch route, in this paper, high etch rate (>1.25 mu m/min) gallium nitride (GaN) processing is reported using the: Surface Technology Systems (STS)ICP system, This is the fastest etch rate published for an ICP system. The etched material exhibits smooth anisotropic profiles and is free from residues. The effect of plasma parameters such as power, pressure and now of reactive and inert process gases are presented. The use of both chlorine (Cl-2) and boron trichloride (BCl3) as reactive etch gases is also studied.