Enhanced etching of tin-doped indium oxide due to surface modification by hydrogen ion injection. (29th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Hu; Karahashi, Kazuhiro; Friederich, Pascal; Fink, Karin; Fukasawa, Masanaga; Hirata, Akiko; Nagahata, Kazunori; Tatsumi, Tetsuya; Wenzel, Wolfgang; Hamaguchi, Satoshi
• Is Part Of: Japanese journal of applied physics. Volume 57:Number 6(2018)Supplement 2
• Publication Date: 2018-05-29
• Subjects: Physics -- Periodicals; 621.05
• DOI: 10.7567/JJAP.57.06JC05
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-4922

Abstract

Abstract: It is known that the etching yield (i.e., sputtering yield) of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) by hydrocarbon ions (CH x + ) is higher than its corresponding physical sputtering yield [H. Li et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A33, 060606 (2015)]. In this study, the effects of hydrogen in the incident hydrocarbon ion beam on the etching yield of ITO have been examined experimentally and theoretically with the use of a mass-selected ion beam system and by first-principles quantum mechanical (QM) simulation. As in the case of ZnO [H. Li et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A35, 05C303 (2017)], mass-selected ion beam experiments have shown that the physical sputtering yield of ITO by chemically inert Ne ions increases after a pretreatment of the ITO film by energetic hydrogen ion injection. First-principles QM simulation of the interaction of In2 O3 with hydrogen atoms shows that hydrogen atoms embedded in In2 O3 readily form hydroxyl (OH) groups and weaken or break In–O bonds around the hydrogen atoms, making the In2 O3 film less resistant to physical sputtering. This is consistent with experimental observation of the enhanced etching yields of ITO by CH x + ions, considering the fact that hydrogen atoms of the incident CH x + ions are embedded into ITO during the etching process.