Dry etching method and manufacturing method of manufacturing EL element using same

• US 5,888,410 A
• Filed: 03/31/1997
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hattori, Tadashi, Hattori, Yutaka, Ishihara, Hajime, Inoguchi, Kazuhiro, Ito, Nobuei
• Primary Examiner(s): POWELL, WILLIAM A
• Application Number:
  US08/825,579
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 216/5, 216/24, 216/25, 216/33, 216/41, 216/67, 216/76, 438/710, 438/722, 252/79.1
• US Class Current: 216/5
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/465 Chemical or electrical treatment, e.g. electrolytic etching to form insulating layers H01L21/469
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources

Abstract

A dry etching method performing dry etching of a material containing zinc forms and patterns a resist on the material to be etched, and etches the material using an etching gas which is a mixed gas of methane gas and an inert gas. A dry etching method that dry etches a material containing zinc etches the material using an etching gas that consists only of methane gas, an inert gas, and hydrogen gas alone. Another dry etching method that dry etches a material containing zinc introduces an etching gas that contains methane gas, an inert gas, and hydrogen gas into a dry etching device, in which the flow rate of the hydrogen gas is set such that it is equal to or greater than the value at which the amount of dissociated hydrogen becomes saturated, and etches the material using the etching gas. An EL element manufacturing method forms a first luminescent material containing zinc in its composition on a first insulated layer, forms a first resist that has a first pattern on the first luminescent material, dry etches the first luminescent material through the first resist, thereby forming the first luminescent layer; forms a second luminescent material having zinc in its composition on the first luminescent layer, forms a second resist on the second luminescent material, and dry etches the second luminescent material through the second resist.

Claims

1. A dry etching method of performing dry etching of a material containing Zn, comprising:

forming and patterning a resist on the material to be etched; and

etching the material by using an etching gas which is a mixed gas of methane gas and inert gas and in which a percentage of the methane gas to a total of the methane gas and the inert gas is in a range of 0.5% to 5%, inclusive.

2. A dry etching method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the percentage of the methane gas is in a range of 0.5% to 2%, inclusive.

3. A dry etching method as set forth in claim 2, wherein a high frequency power that is used when the etching is performed is made to fall within a range of 0.25 W inclusive to 0.8 W per square centimeter.

4. A dry etching method as set forth in claim 2, wherein a pressure of the etching gas is within a range of from 30 mTorr to 100 mTorr inclusive.

5. A dry etching method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mixed gas consists of only the methane gas and the inert gas alone.

6. A dry etching method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inert gas is argon gas.

7. A dry etching method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the material to be etched is made of a material that consists mainly of zinc sulfide or zinc oxide.

8. A dry etching method of performing dry etching of a material containing Zn, comprising:

etching the material by using an etching gas that consists of only methane gas, inert gas and hydrogen gas alone.

9. A dry etching method of performing dry etching of a material containing Zn, comprising:

introducing an etching gas that contains methane gas, inert gas and hydrogen gas into a dry etching device, a flowrate of the hydrogen gas being set at a flowrate equal to or greater than a value at which an amount of dissociated hydrogen therefrom becomes saturated; and

etching the material by using the etching gas.

10. An EL element manufacturing method in which a first electrode, first insulating layer, luminescent layer using a material containing zinc therein as a host material, second insulating layer and second electrode are sequentially laminated on an insulating substrate, comprising:

forming and patterning a resist on the luminescent layer; and

etching the luminescent layer by using an etching gas which is a mixed gas of methane gas and an inert gas.

11. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the luminescent layer is formed by laminating a first luminescent layer and a second luminescent layer, whereby with the first luminescent layer being located as an underlying layer the second luminescent layer is patterned by the step of etching the luminescent layer.

12. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 10, wherein a percentage of the methane gas to a total of the methane gas and the inert gas is in a range of 0.5% to 5%, inclusive.

13. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 10, wherein a percentage of the methane gas to a total of the methane gas and the inert gas is in a range of 0.5% to 2%, inclusive.

14. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the mixed gas consists of only the methane gas and the inert gas alone.

15. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the inert gas is argon gas.

16. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the etching gas contains hydrogen gas in addition to the methane gas and the inert gas.

17. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 16, wherein a flowrate of the hydrogen gas is set equal to or greater than a value at which an amount of dissociated hydrogen therefrom becomes saturated.

18. An EL element manufacturing method in which a first electrode, first insulating layer, luminescent layer, second insulating layer and second electrode are sequentially laminated on an insulating substrate, comprising;

forming the second electrode on the second insulating layer by using a material that consists mainly of zinc oxide;

forming and patterning a resist on the second electrode; and

etching the second electrode by using an etching gas which is a mixed gas of methane gas and inert gas.

19. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the luminescent layer is made of a material that consists mainly of a sulfide of an alkaline earth metal.

20. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 18, wherein a percentage of the methane gas to a total of the methane gas and the inert gas is in a range of 0.5% to 5%, inclusive.

21. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 18, wherein a percentage of the methane gas to a total of the methane gas and the inert gas is in a range of 0.5% to 2%, inclusive.

22. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the mixed gas consists of only the methane gas and the inert gas alone.

23. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the inert gas is argon gas.

24. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the etching gas contains hydrogen gas in addition to the methane gas and the inert gas.

25. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 24, wherein a flowrate of the hydrogen gas is set equal to or greater than a value at which an amount of dissociated hydrogen therefrom becomes saturated.

26. An EL element manufacturing method in which a first electrode, first insulating layer, luminescent layer, second insulating layer and second electrode are sequentially laminated on an insulating substrate, said luminescent layer being composed of at least two kinds of different-color luminescent layers, said EL element manufacturing method comprising:

forming a first luminescent material that has zinc in its composition on the first insulating layer;

forming a first resist having a first pattern on the first luminescent material;

dry-etching the first luminescent material through the first resist to thereby form the first luminescent layer having the first pattern;

forming a second luminescent material that has zinc in its composition on the first luminescent layer;

forming on the second luminescent material a second resist that has a second pattern that is different from the first pattern of the first resist; and

dry-etching the second luminescent material through the second resist to thereby form the second luminescent layer that has the second pattern, wherein at least one of the dry-etchings is performed in an atmosphere of an etching gas which is a mixed gas of methane gas and inert gas and in which the percentage of the methane gas to a total of the methane gas and the inert gas is from 0.5% to 5%. inclusive.

27. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 26, wherein the percentage of the methane gas falls within a range of from 0.5% to 1.5%, inclusive.

28. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 26, wherein a high frequency power that is used when the step of dry-etching is performed by using the mixed gas is made to fall within a range of 0.55 W to 0.7 W per square centimeter, inclusive.

29. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 26, wherein a pressure of the etching gas is within a range of from 40 mTorr to 65 mTorr, inclusive.

30. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 26, wherein a difference of an etching rate at which the resist is etched from an etching rate at which the luminescent material is etched is 5 nm/min or more.

31. An EL element manufacturing method as set forth in claim 26, wherein a difference of an etching rate at which the resist is etched from an etching rate at which the luminescent material is etched is 10 nm/min or more.