Dry Etching Characteristics of MOVPE-Grown CdTe Epilayers in CH4, H2, Ar ECR Plasmas

Dry etching characteristics of single crystal (100) CdTe epitaxial layers grown on GaAs substrates were studied using CH4, H2, and Ar as process gases in an electron cyclotron resonance plasma. A smooth and anisotropic etching was obtained with CH4, H2, and Ar. No hydrocarbon polymer was found on the etched surface, which was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement. Etching of the CdTe surface was also possible with H2 and Ar; however, no etching was observed in the absence of H2. Dependence of the etch rate on plasma gas composition and flow rates was studied. Mechanisms of etching with and without CH4 supply were also studied. Etched CdTe layers also showed no deterioration of electrical properties, which was confirmed by photoluminescence measurement at 4.2 K and Hall measurement at 300 K.