Plasma etching

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Plasma etching is a form of plasma processing in which a high-speed stream of plasma is shot (in pulses) at a metal. The atoms of the shot element embed themselves at or just below the surface of the target. The physical properties of the target are modified in the process.

Plasma etching is also used in semiconductor manufacturing where it is employed for pattern transfer at different stages of the device processing: e.g. trench etch, gate etch of the MOS transistors or contact hole etch.