Physiochemical etching characteristics and surface analysis of Y₂O₃-MgO nanocomposite under different CF₄/Ar/O₂ plasma atmospheres

During plasma etching in the semiconductor manufacturing process, not only the wafers but also the ceramic components that make up the interior of the chamber are influenced by the highly reactive plasma. Because chemical and physical etching work concurrently, and selective etching is possible by controlling the plasma gas composition, it is essential to develop novel ceramics with outstanding resistance to various plasma environments that do not produce contamination particles; this will allow us to elevate production yield of chips and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Herein, we report the plasma etching behavior of 50:50 vol% Y2O3-MgO nanocomposite ceramics under different CF4/Ar gas ratios conditions. It was found that the erosion depths and surface roughness changes of this material were much lower than those values of reference materials under both chemical and physical etching. Effects of plasma environment on the penetration depth of fluorine on the nanocomposite surface and of physical sputtering attack were also investigated. The results indicate that a nanocomposite with fine grains and high density can decrease particle generation and improve its life cycle under strong bias voltage and various plasma gas conditions, thereby showing itself a promising material for next-generation ceramic components in the semiconductor manufacturing process.