Gas Cluster Ion Beam Etching under Acetic Acid Vapor for Etch-Resistant Material

Gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) etching of etch-resistant materials under acetic acid vapor was studied for development of new manufacturing process of future nonvolatile memory. Etching depths of various etch-resistant materials (Pt, Ru, Ta, CoFe) with acetic acid vapor during O2-GCIB irradiations were 1.8–10.7 times higher than those without acetic acid. Also, etching depths of Ru, Ta, CoFe by Ar-GCIB with acetic acid vapor were 2.2–16.1 times higher than those without acetic acid. Even after etching of Pt, smoothing of Pt was realized using O2-GCIB under acetic acid. From XPS and angular distribution of sputtered Pt, it was shown that PtOx layer was formed on Pt after O2-GCIB irradiation. PtOx reacted with acetic acid by GCIB bombardments; as a result, increase of etching depth was observed.