Damage Characteristics of TiO₂Thin Film Surfaces Etched by Capacitively Coupled Radio Frequency Helium Plasmas

Abstract

Damage characteristics of TiO2 thin film surfaces etched by capacitively coupled RF He plasmas are found to be dependent on gas pressure and etch time. At a low gas pressure (10 mTorr), the morphology of TiO2 surface etched for 5 min is smooth like the as-grown surface. When the etch time lengthens to 60 min, the surface morphology is smoother. However, the atomic O concentration at the surface is lower than that of the as-grown surface. On the other hand, at a high gas pressure (50–100 mTorr), the He plasma etch causes a rough surface morphology (surface defects) when the etch time lengthens to 60 min.