Silicon etching in Cl2 environment

The ion-beam-assisted etching of silicon in Cl2 environment is considered. The theoretically calculated dependences of silicon etching rate on the flux of Cl2 molecules at different ion current densities are compared with experimentally measured. The composition of the adsorbed layer is determined. It is found that SiCl2 molecules prevail in the adsorbed layer. The reciprocal of relative concentration of SiCl2 molecules in the adsorbed layer linearly depends on the ion-to-neutral flux ratio