Optimization of Reactive Ion Etching of Polycrystalline Diamond for MEMS Appl…

Abstract—It has been found that diamond columns can be formed unintentionally in reactive ion etching (RIE) with O2 plasma even without a precoated metal layer. The experimental results indicate that the existence of these diamond columns prevents the effective removal of polycrystalline diamond (poly-C), also known as microcrystalline diamond. A three-step sequential RIE of poly-C thin film…