Patent ID: 11864472
Assignee: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  C | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A method for etching a surface, comprising:
(a) obtaining a structure comprising a plurality of nanowires on or above a substrate and a dielectric layer on or above the nanowires, wherein the dielectric layer comprises protrusions formed by the underlying nanowires;
(b) reacting a surface of the dielectric layer with a reactant, comprising a gas or a plasma, to form a reactive layer on the dielectric layer, wherein the reactive layer comprises a chemical compound including the reactant and elements of the dielectric layer and the reactive layer comprises sidewalls defined by the protrusions; and
(c) selectively etching the reactive layer, wherein the etching etches the protrusions laterally through the sidewalls so as to planarize the surface and remove or shrink the protrusions.