Inductively coupled plasma etching of HgCdTe

The high-density inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching technique has been applied to HgCdTe. The HgCdTe etch rate was studied as a function of key process variables commonly used in high-density plasma etching: chamber pressure, direct current (DC) bias, and ICP-source power. Mesa profiles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the profiles for the process conditions used were found to be compatible with fabrication procedures for HgCdTe infrared focal-plane arrays (FPAs). The etch uniformity was measured to be better than 5% over a diameter of 6-in.

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