Additive Processes

Processes where material is added to the wafer.

Overview

Oxidation

Oxidation in microtechnology refers most often to the oxidation of silicon. A layer of silicon dioxide created on the surface of a silicon wafer can be easily patterned. An SiO₂ layer can be created by thermal oxidation or by deposition.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

• Chemical vapor deposition and plasma enhanced CVD

Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)

• Physical vapor deposition (PVD)

Sputter Deposition

• w:sputtering
• Thin-film deposition

Energetic ions sputter material off the target which diffuse through the plasma towards the substrate where it is deposited. There is no strong plasma glow around the cathode since it takes a certain distance for the plasma to be generated by electron avalanches started by a few secondary electrons from the sputtering process.

Epitaxial Growth

• Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE)
• Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) using solid sources and Chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) using gasseuos sources.
• Epitaxy in general.
• Atomic layer epitaxy where only a few monolayers are deposited and bond to chemisorption sites on the surface.

Electrochemical Methods

Spinning

Photo and electron beam resists as well as many other polymers are often coated on wafers by spinning a volatile solution of the compund onto the wafer.

Surface Functionalization

• Self-assembled monolayers (SAM)
• Hydrophobe and Hydrophile surface layers to control wetting.

References

See also notes on editing this book about how to add references Microtechnology/About#How to Contribute.