This practical guide provides in-depth information on the various etching technologies that are used in the semiconductor industry, including, but not limited to thermal etching, isotropic atomic layer etching, radical and ion-assisted etching, and reactive ion etching. It is complemented by chapters on the design of etching reactors, modeling of etching and process control.

Thorsten Lill is a Vice President for Emerging Etch Technologies and Systems at Lam Research, the market leader in etching tools for the semiconductor industry. He has been working in the field of plasma, radical, thermal, ion beam and plasma etching since 1995. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, Germany and was a post doc at the Argonne National Laboratory. He has a track record in developing commercially successful etching equipment for the semiconductor industry. He published 85 articles and 66 patents in the field. Thorsten Lill holds a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Stanford University.

INTRODUCTION
Brief history of etching
Role of etching in the IT revolution
Etching terminology: Profile control, selectivity, uniformity, aspect ratio dependent etching

FUNDAMENTALS OF HOW TO REMOVE AN ATOM FROM A SURFACE
Chemical surface modification
Types of activation energies
Taxonomy of etching technologies

THERMAL OR VAPOR ETCHING
Mechanisms
Applications

THERMAL OR ISOTROPIC ATOMIC LAYER ETCHING
Mechanisms
Applications

RADICAL ETCHING
Mechanisms
Applications

ION ASSISTED OR DIRECTIONAL ATOMIC LAYER ETCHING
Mechanisms
Applications

REACTIVE ION ETCHING
Mechanisms
Applications

ION BEAM ETCHING
Mechanisms
Applications

ETCHING REACTOR DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS
Introduction
Tools for thermal etching
Plasma tools

COMBINING ETCHING AND DEPOSITION

EMERGING ETCHING TECHNOLOGIES: LASER AND ELECTRON BEAM ASSISTED ETCHING

MODELING OF ETCHING: REACTIVE ION ETCHING, DIRECTIONAL ALE, AND ION BEAM ETCHING

PROCESS CONTROL AND THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ETCHING PROCESS CONTROL