Nanoscale Etching of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 without Etch Lag using Chlorine Based Inductively Coupled Plasma

Abstract

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) has been considered as a promising material for future electronic and spintronic device application due to its unique properties such as pure spin polarization, colossal magnetoresistance, and high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). To apply this promising material for practical application, large epitaxial LSMO layers should be etched into micro- and nano-scale device structures. However, a comprehensive study on the etch of LSMO has not been demonstrated yet. Herein, the etch rates of LSMO are studied using inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) method, while controlling critical etching parameters such as ICP source power, radio frequency (rf) chuck power, etching gas ratio, and chamber pressure. We found that the etching process can be applied to nanoscale structures (down to 100 nm) without etch lag effect, exhibiting smaller etch depth in smaller features. This study will provide a good reference for the etching and the engineering of LSMO toward future electronic and spintronic devices such as highly sensitive bolometers and low-power memory devices.