Cornell NanoScale Facility and Plasma-Therm collaborate on atomic layer etching

The Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility (CNF, a research facility at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY) and Plasma-Therm LLC of St Petersburg, FL, USA (which makes plasma etch, deposition and advanced packaging equipment for specialty semiconductor and nanotechnology markets) have announced a joint development agreement (JDA) to advance atomic layer etching (ALE) for nanoscale device fabrication. Plasma-Therm will provide an ALE system, while CNF will provide ALE process and device development on a wide range of materials serving a broad research community.

ALE is derived from its counterpart atomic layer deposition (ALD) in that it is composed of sequential self-limiting chemical steps, essentially etching one atomic layer per cycle, providing the precise control and low-damage etching required for the fabrication of nanostructure devices.

“Our acquisition of ALE and our collaboration with Plasma-Therm will ensure that CNF can meet the many challenges posed by the increasingly complex fabrication requirements of nanoscale photonics, advanced III-V devices, 2D electronics, magnetic, and quantum-based device applications,” says Vince Genova, a research staff member leading the ALE effort at Cornell.

CNF operates as an open user facility for nanofabrication, open to academic, industrial and government users, and is part of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) a US National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored network of 16 regional user facilities. CNF will be the first site within NNCI to acquire ALE, adding an asset to the fabrication capabilities of NNCI.

The CNF has had a long-term relationship with Plasma-Therm since the early 1980s and currently has six etch platforms including four inductively coupled plasma (ICP) chambers serving its extensive user community.
“The joint development program with Cornell is another example of Plasma-Therm’s focus on partnering with our customers in developing next generation technologies,” notes Dwarakanath Geerpuram, Plasma-Therm’s director of product development engineering.

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