Inductively coupled plasma etching of glass using an embedded cold cathode electron beam assist

Summary form only given, as follows. An etching environment is described that is produced by electron-beam-assisted-ion bombardment from a uniquely configured inductively coupled plasma discharge source. The etching source is made unique through the use of an embedded rf-biased cold cathode which produces an energetic beam of electrons that are directed out of the source along with the expanding plasma ions. Using this technique, we have produced energetic streams of both electrons and ions that impinge upon and subsequently etch a given target or substrate surface. The electron beam assist technique has been found to be very effective at charge neutralizing insulating glass surfaces in both reactive and nonreactive ion etching processes. The electron beam is created by ion bombardment induced secondary electron emission from the embedded cold cathode surface that is excited using a variable amplitude, capacitively coupled rf bias.