Method of etching titanium diboride

Abstract

A thin film of titanium diboride that has been deposited onto a substrate d patterned using photolithography is dry etched in a commercial plasma etcher with either a chloride, or a mixture of a chloride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a chloride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of a chloride gas with a noble gas, or a fluoride gas, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen, or a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Method of etching a thin film of titanium diboride that has been deposited onto a substrate and patterned using photolithography, said method including the steps of: (A) mounting a substrate bearing a patterned thin film of titanium diboride on a lower electrode of a pair of electrodes in an etch chamber of a plasma therm etcher,   (B) evacuating the etch chamber to a pressure of about 10 -6  Torr,   (C) admitting a dry etchant to the etch chamber at a flow rate of about 1 to 100 sccm and a pressure set at about 1 to 500 mTorr,   (D) applying an electric field between the pair or electrodes and setting the power level at about 50 to 1000 watts, and   (E) allowing the etch to proceed for a preselected time.   
     
     
       2. Method according to claim 1 wherein the dry etchant is selected from the group consisting of a chloride gas, a mixture of a chloride gas with oxygen, a mixture of chloride gas with nitrogen, a mixture of a chloride gas with noble gas, a fluoride gas, a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen, a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen, and a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas. 
     
     
       3. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a chloride gas. 
     
     
       4. Method according to claim 3 wherein the dry etchant is dichlorodifluoromethane. 
     
     
       5. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of chloride gas with oxygen. 
     
     
       6. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of chloride gas with nitrogen. 
     
     
       7. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a chloride gas with a noble gas. 
     
     
       8. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a fluoride gas. 
     
     
       9. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a fluoride gas with oxygen. 
     
     
       10. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a fluoride gas with nitrogen. 
     
     
       11. Method according to claim 2 wherein the dry etchant is a mixture of a fluoride gas with a noble gas.