Minimizing Charging Potential during Passivation Etch

In this paper we evaluate the effect of charging damage during passivation etch. This will demonstrate particularly the importance of proper wafer grounding in high radio frequency (RF) power passivation etch process. Charge buildup can occur because of severe ion bombardment of the wafer surface due to high RF power plasma etch process. As a result, plasma induced charges on the wafer, if not properly controlled can cause damage to the underlying layers and induce other reliability problems.