<azonenberg_lab> Running experiments on evaporated copper now
<azonenberg_lab> First step was the "Scotch tape test" on a glass sample, it failed miserably
<azonenberg_lab> almost complete delamination
<azonenberg_lab> Next will be seeing how it handles HF
<azonenberg_lab> i've heard some people say they think it passivates, others say it will etch
<azonenberg_lab> lekernel: Know anything about the behavior of Cu in HF?
<azonenberg_lab> Will it etch, passivate, not react at all?
<CIA-67> homecmos r104 | trunk/lithography-tests/labnotes/azonenberg_labnotes.txt | Today's lab notes
<azonenberg> 100x view of evaporated copper on wafer
<azonenberg> after spin coating in PR, exposing, developing, and wet etching in SC2
<azonenberg> After stripping resist; http://i.imgur.com/WZDVv.jpg
<azonenberg> Colors are a bit off
<azonenberg> But the yellow is copper and the background is silicon
<azonenberg> I wonder if 60 sec in SC2 is too much
<azonenberg> The film is very thin, after all
<azonenberg> Maybe i want to water it down...
<azonenberg> Yeah, its waaay too much
<azonenberg> Etch Rates for Micromachining Processing - Part II, IEEE MEMS journal
<azonenberg> gives etch rate for a similar FeCl3 based etchant as 3900nm/min
<azonenberg> I'm using HCl : H2O2 but in PCBs they etched at about the same rate
<azonenberg> Which means my film (rough guesstimate 200nm) would be etched throuhg in 5 sec
<azonenberg> And then 12x overetched :P
<nathan7> azonenberg: :o
<Laurenceb> HF is acid
<Laurenceb> it should etch copper
<lekernel> Laurenceb, not all acids etch copper, e.g. hydrochloric acid does not
<lekernel> HF, I don't know
<lekernel> Laurenceb, also, you have passivation phenomena with some strong acids... for example pure sulfuric acid does not etch copper, but diluted sulfuric acid does (iirc)
<lekernel> "In  the  manufacture  and  storage  of  hydrogen  fluoride  and  its aqueous  solution,  i.e.,  hydrofluoric  acid,  equipment  made  of  copper and  its  alloys  is  used"
<lekernel> so it most probably does not ;)
<bart416> For HF storage, just use teflon
<lekernel> that's a 1962 document
<lekernel> and the question isn't how to store HF but whether it can be used to etch copper
<nathan7> lekernel: In the presence of Cu(2+) it does
<nathan7> ahem, Cu²z
<lekernel> HF or HCl?
<lekernel> and I guess that's a chain reaction?
<azonenberg> Well thats good because it means i can use evaporated copper as a hardmask for HF etching
<azonenberg> I just might need a little bit more than i used for this deposition run
<azonenberg> This might finally solve my patterning problems
<azonenberg> Spin coat TaCl5, bake to oxidize
<azonenberg> Evaporate Cu
<azonenberg> Spin coat photoresist, develop, wet etch Cu hardmask in dilute SC2
<azonenberg> Etch Ta2O5 through Cu with hot HF
<azonenberg> Strip Cu in SC2
<azonenberg> Etch Si through Ta2O5 with KOH
<azonenberg> So i'd have *three* levels of masking
<azonenberg> But in theory it should work
<azonenberg> My last run seems to have had adhesion issues with the Cu, thats my only concern
<azonenberg> Wondering if it wasnt pure enough / I didnt clean the surface adequately
<azonenberg> but when i tried HF etching a glass substrate with Cu over it, the Cu floated off
<azonenberg> Not damaged, but it was undercut
<bart416> Well, HF tends to do that azonenberg
<azonenberg> bart416: Yeah, i was hoping the Cu would actually mask it
<azonenberg> Need to figure out if i just etched too long or what
<azonenberg> I only need to go down around 100nm
<bart416> For etching glass I'd just use regular photoresist to be honnest
<azonenberg> bart416: Doesnt work
<azonenberg> My resist allows F- to diffuse through it
<bart416> auch :(
<azonenberg> you get etching of the substrate with intact photoresist over it
<azonenberg> At least, thats my working hypothesis
<azonenberg> all i know for sure is what actually happens
<azonenberg> not how
<azonenberg> So my newly modified process calls for ten different operations to pattern one bulk-etch mask level into a piece of silicon lol
<azonenberg> Spin coat TaCl5, bake
<azonenberg> Evaporate Cu
<azonenberg> Spin coat photoresist, soft bake
<azonenberg> Expose, develop, hard bake
<azonenberg> Wet etch Cu in dilute SC2
<azonenberg> Strip PR in acetone
<azonenberg> Wet etch Ta2O5 through Cu with HF
<azonenberg> Strip Cu in SC2
<azonenberg> Wet etch Si in KOH
<azonenberg> Strip Ta2O5 in HF
<nathan7> SC2?
<azonenberg> Standard Clean 2, the second of two cleaning solutions in the RCA clean
<azonenberg> 1 part HCl : 1 part 30% H2O2 : 6 parts water
<azonenberg> I use a slightly different mixture due to lack of 30% peroxide, i use 1 part conc HCl to 6 parts 3% H2O2
<azonenberg> A little less of an oxidizer but its pretty close, just slightly slower etch rate on some materials
<nathan7> mhm
<nathan7> azonenberg: ebay has 30% H2O2
<azonenberg> nathan7: Not saying it cant be obtained
<azonenberg> But i dont have it
<azonenberg> It also decomposes fast enough i dont want to order it
<nathan7> Not terribly fast
<nathan7> Just keep it in the dark and don't keep it with metal
<azonenberg> In any case, cant do too much moe work until sunset in the USA
<azonenberg> more*
<azonenberg> silly photoresist and my lack of a darkroom...
<nathan7> lol
<bart416> H202 lasts quite a while if you keep it in the right bottles
<bart416> As long as you don't expose it to much light and avoid heating it it'll last years
<azonenberg> bart416: 3% or 30%?
<bart416> Both
<azonenberg> And i'd use an opaque plastic or brown glass bottle under a shelf
<azonenberg> at 75F
<nathan7> Put it in the lab freezer!
<bart416> ^that
<azonenberg> nathan7: Dont have one (working at least)
<bart416> put it in a fridge
<bart416> I mean, it's not like it's really all that toxic
<bart416> Unless if you intend to drink it
<azonenberg> On general principle i keep lab stuff well separated from food / living spaces
<nathan7> H2O2 is nontoxic
<nathan7> just oxidising
<bart416> Just keep it in a labeled teflon bottle
<bart416> And put it somewhere in a cool cupboard
<bart416> that's my storage procedure for 10% H202 and up
<bart416> As long as you stay under 50% that should be safe
<azonenberg> 50%? Lol
<azonenberg> I'm not working with rocket fule here
<azonenberg> fuel*
<bart416> It's only qualified as rocket fuel starting from 65% or something like that
<bart416> lol
<azonenberg> Lol, 50 is still quite possibly explosive
<bart416> Nah, 50% is still safe if you don't heat it
<nathan7> or stir it with silver spoons
<nathan7> or silver powder
<nathan7> really high-surface area silver powder
<nathan7> that still gets a nice fizz out of 3%
<azonenberg> lol :P
<azonenberg> how about 50nm nanopowder? :p
<azonenberg> boom
<bart416> nathan7, don't try to feed it iron either :p
<bart416> And never ever try to feed it alkali metals
<nathan7> ;D
<azonenberg> Alkali metals...
<bart416> you know, if you throw a block of potasium in water it reacts violently eh...
<azonenberg> Rubidium plus 50% H2O2
<nathan7> azonenberg: I dissolved 97/3 Sn/Ag solder in HCl(aq)
<bart416> Now try throwing it in high concentration hydrogen peroxide
<bart416> I'll stand back a bit :P
<nathan7> ;D
<bart416> Violent is an understatement
<bart416> Its a damned depth charge >_>
<azonenberg> lol
<nathan7> bart416: better, put a tube to the bottom
<nathan7> make sure it's dry inside
<nathan7> and drop the K in
<nathan7> then quickly remove the tube
<nathan7> the K will be at the bottom
<azonenberg> lol
<bart416> nathan7, heh we had another method
<bart416> we put the potasium in a one of those large plastic canisters you can buy chemicals in
<azonenberg> And puncture the lid?
<bart416> attach a brick to it
<bart416> attach fireworks with fuses that work under water to the lid
<nathan7> :>
<azonenberg> ...
<bart416> and throw it in the river
<azonenberg> So you use a small charge to blow the lid off
<nathan7> azonenberg: where are you located?
<bart416> yes
<azonenberg> nathan7: USA
<nathan7> azonenberg: Yes, where USA?
<azonenberg> Near Albany
<nathan7> State?
<azonenberg> why you ask?
<azonenberg> NY
<nathan7> You<->ozonenerd distance
<azonenberg> Oh
<azonenberg> Where's he at?
<nathan7> ah, that's far
<nathan7> Florida
<azonenberg> Lol
<azonenberg> Yeah, 500 miles ish?
<azonenberg> maybe a bit more?
<nathan7> americaland is big.
<bart416> I'm bored