Plasma etching has become an invaluable tool in the fabrication of modern microelectronic integrated circuits, making possible the high packing density of electronic components that has become standard in modern circuitry. Many colleges and universities offer laboratory courses designed to give undergraduate students "hands-on" experience with fabricating microelectronic components. However, these courses ignore plasma etching in favor of the easier, but no longer industrially useful, wet-chemical etch methods, leaving the graduating engineer with limited knowledge and no practical experience in plasma processing of semiconductors. This project incorporates experimental work in the undergraduate microelectronics laboratory designed to give students a knowledge of basic plasma processing equipment, to teach students techniques for etching semiconductor materials, and to facilitate the students' understanding of fundamental plasma processes and diagnostic techniques. Diagnostic tools suitable for use in an undergraduate laboratory allow the student to understand the processes taking place in the plasma, as well as to evaluate the results of plasma etching of materials. Using this equipment, students perform a series of experiments learning the characteristics of rf plasma systems, perform some easy diagnostic studies, and evaluate the results of etching of various semiconductor materials. A relatively modest capital expenditure provides the student with an in-depth knowledge of plasma etching, and its implementation in the semiconductor industry.
