Suface procesing method by blowing submicron particles

Abstract

A surface processing method by blowing submicron particles is disclosed, in which submicron particles are blown against a surface of a work to deposit a layer of the material of the particles on a surface of the work, or etching the surface of the work. The processing method uses blowing air stream containing submicron particles having average particles size ranging between 0.01 and 3.0 mum. The deposition or etching is effected depending on an incident angle of the particles to the surface of work. According to the method deposition of the material can be effected with very high deposition rate and in case of etching very smooth etched surface is obtained.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a surface processing method for etching the surface of a work, such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate, or for depositing a film of a material over the surface of a work and, more specifically, to a novel surface processing method employing submicron particles.[0002] The fabrication of a functional element, such as a semiconductor integrated circuit chip, a printed circuit board or a magnetic head, requires various minute processing techniques such as advanced etching techniques or thin film forming techniques.[0003] Under such circumstances, researches have been conducted in various fields and there have been developed advanced processing techniques employing a resist mask for etching the surface of a semiconductor wafer, such as an ion beam etching method (IBE) using electrically accelerated argon ions for physically etching the surface of a work and a reactive ion etching method (RIE) using activated fluorine or chlorine gas ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surface processing method exceeding the conventional techniques in processing speed and processing accuracy.

[0015] That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel surface processing method capable of depositing a film at a high deposition rate and requiring less restrictions on the surface condition of a work.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface processing method capable of accurately etching the surface of a work substantially in a mirror-finished surface to form a minute pattern at a high etching rate.

Problems solved by technology

The processing rates of those etching methods are relatively low, need an expensive apparatus and requires troublesome work for the maintenance of the apparatus.

This sandblasting method is capable of processing the surface of a work at a relatively high processing rate and is advantageous in plant and equipment investment, however, the sandblasting method is unsatisfactory when applied to processing the surface of a semiconductor wafer in patterning accuracy and the surface condition of the processed surface because the particle size of the particles employed in the sandblasting method at the minimum is on the order of 16 .mu.m.

Those previously proposed various etching methods are unsatisfactory in either processing rate or processing accuracy, and the improvement of those etching methods has been desired.

However, the deposition rate of the sputtering process is low, for example, on the order of 0.006 .mu.m / min in depositing a thin film of alumina, the sputtering process needs a high vacuum and an expensive apparatus, and the substrate is heated to a relatively high temperature during the sputtering process.

However, the chemical vapor deposition process forms a film at a relatively low deposition rate and requires a space of a high vacuum, which is disadvantageous in respect of plant and equipment investment.

Thus, the conventional film forming techniques are unsatisfactory in processing speed and subject to restrictions on the substrate on which a film is to be formed.

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