Etcher Comparison

Feature	Oxford RIE	Oxford DRIE	Oxford DRIE-ALE	Oxford III-V	XeF2 Etcher
Model	PlasmaPro 80 RIE	Oxford System 100 DRIE	Oxford DRIE + ALE	PlasmaPro 100 Cobra	Custom built (Armani group)
Location	Etch Bay 1	Etch Bay 1	Etch Bay 1	Etch Bay 1	Deposition Bay 1
Substrate Size	Up to 200 mm (8")	Up to 4" clamp; 2", 3", 4", 6", 8" possible	Up to 4" clamp; 2", 3", 4", 6", 8" possible	Up to 4" clamp; 2", 3", 4", 6", 8" possible	Up to 6"
Etch Type	RIE (capacitively coupled)	DRIE / Bosch (ICP)	DRIE + Atomic Layer Etch	ICP-RIE (cryo capable)	Isotropic chemical etch
Table RF Power	300 W max	300 W max	300 W max	1500 W max	N/A
ICP Power	None (RIE only)	3000 W max	3000 W max	1500 W max	N/A
Table Temperature	20°C	20°C	-120°C to 200°C allowed (-150°C to 400°C max)	-120°C to 200°C allowed (-150°C to 400°C max)	20°C
Gases	Ar, O₂, CF₄, CHF₃, SF₆	Ar, O₂, CF₄, CHF₃, SF₆, C₄F₈	Ar, O₂, C₄F₈, SF₆, BCl₃, Cl₂, H₂, N₂O, CH₄, CF₄, CHF₃	Ar, O₂, SF₆, CH₄, H₂, Cl₂, BCl₃, SiCl₄	XeF₂ (crystal source)
Allowed Materials	Si, SiO₂, Si₃N₄, oxide/nitride masks, Cr	Si, SiO₂, SiN, Parylene, Polyimide, LiNbO₃, BCB	InP, InAs, GaN, AlGaAs, GaAs, InGaAsP, ITO, Si, SiC, MoS₂, WSe, Graphene	InP, InAs, GaN, AlGaAs, GaAs, InGaAsP, ITO, Si, SiC, MoS₂, WSe, Graphene	Si only
Disallowed	No metals except Cr; no deep polymer >1 µm	No exposed metals except Cr	No metals except Cr; no deep polymer >1 µm	No metals except Cr; no deep polymer >1 µm	None listed
Endpoint Detection	Optical (LEM G50)	Not Available	TBD	Optical (LEM G50)	Not Available
Best For	Dielectric etching, passivation removal, via openings, resist descum	Deep Si etching, high-aspect-ratio structures, Bosch process	Precise atomic-layer-level etch control	III-V semiconductors, exotic/compound materials, cryo etching	Fast isotropic Si etching, high selectivity
Status	Operational	Operational	Operational	Operational	Operational
SOP	SOP	SOP	TBD	SOP	SOP