Development of an atomic layer etching process for diamond substrates.

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Title: Development of an atomic layer etching process for diamond substrates.
Authors: Régnier, Marine1,2,3 (AUTHOR) marine.regnier@neel.cnrs.fr, Kasprzak, Jacek1,3,4 (AUTHOR), Dydniański, Amadeusz3,4 (AUTHOR), Rouchouze, Elliott3 (AUTHOR), Traoré, Aboulaye5 (AUTHOR), Gheeraert, Etienne1,2,3 (AUTHOR), Bonvalot, Marceline2,3,6 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology: Part A-Vacuums, Surfaces & Films. May2026, Vol. 44 Issue 3, p1-8. 8p.
Subjects: Plasma etching, Sputtering (Physics), Diamond surfaces, Electron beam lithography, Surface preparation, Photonic crystals
Abstract: Atomic layer etching process for (100)-oriented diamond substrates has been developed using a standard inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching reactor. The process relies on a cyclic sequence comprising a surface modification step in a CF4/Ar plasma followed by selective removal through low energy argon sputtering. A well-defined atomic layer etching window is identified, yielding a stable and reproducible etch rate corresponding to two (100) diamond unit cells (7.1 Å) per cycle. Surface characterization of the diamond etched surface reveals a significant reduction in surface roughness across a wide range of sputtering energies, although further optimization remains possible, given the initially high surface roughness of the diamond substrates. To demonstrate the relevance of our process, it was applied to so-called bull's eye photonic structures that were fabricated using conventional electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. This combined approach enabled the formation of smooth etched surfaces and side walls, with minimal micromasking. The resulting structures provide a benchmark for resonant nonlinear spectroscopy and coherent control of color centers in diamond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology: Part A-Vacuums, Surfaces & Films is the property of American Institute of Physics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 194305128
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  Data: Development of an atomic layer etching process for diamond substrates.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Régnier%2C+Marine%22">Régnier, Marine</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> marine.regnier@neel.cnrs.fr</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kasprzak%2C+Jacek%22">Kasprzak, Jacek</searchLink><relatesTo>1,3,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dydniański%2C+Amadeusz%22">Dydniański, Amadeusz</searchLink><relatesTo>3,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rouchouze%2C+Elliott%22">Rouchouze, Elliott</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Traoré%2C+Aboulaye%22">Traoré, Aboulaye</searchLink><relatesTo>5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gheeraert%2C+Etienne%22">Gheeraert, Etienne</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bonvalot%2C+Marceline%22">Bonvalot, Marceline</searchLink><relatesTo>2,3,6</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Vacuum+Science+%26+Technology%3A+Part+A-Vacuums%2C+Surfaces+%26+Films%22">Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology: Part A-Vacuums, Surfaces & Films</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 44 Issue 3, p1-8. 8p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Plasma+etching%22">Plasma etching</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sputtering+%28Physics%29%22">Sputtering (Physics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Diamond+surfaces%22">Diamond surfaces</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electron+beam+lithography%22">Electron beam lithography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Surface+preparation%22">Surface preparation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Photonic+crystals%22">Photonic crystals</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Atomic layer etching process for (100)-oriented diamond substrates has been developed using a standard inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching reactor. The process relies on a cyclic sequence comprising a surface modification step in a CF4/Ar plasma followed by selective removal through low energy argon sputtering. A well-defined atomic layer etching window is identified, yielding a stable and reproducible etch rate corresponding to two (100) diamond unit cells (7.1 Å) per cycle. Surface characterization of the diamond etched surface reveals a significant reduction in surface roughness across a wide range of sputtering energies, although further optimization remains possible, given the initially high surface roughness of the diamond substrates. To demonstrate the relevance of our process, it was applied to so-called bull's eye photonic structures that were fabricated using conventional electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. This combined approach enabled the formation of smooth etched surfaces and side walls, with minimal micromasking. The resulting structures provide a benchmark for resonant nonlinear spectroscopy and coherent control of color centers in diamond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology: Part A-Vacuums, Surfaces & Films is the property of American Institute of Physics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1116/6.0005341
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 8
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Plasma etching
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sputtering (Physics)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Diamond surfaces
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electron beam lithography
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Surface preparation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Photonic crystals
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Development of an atomic layer etching process for diamond substrates.
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            NameFull: Régnier, Marine
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            NameFull: Kasprzak, Jacek
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            NameFull: Dydniański, Amadeusz
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            NameFull: Rouchouze, Elliott
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            NameFull: Traoré, Aboulaye
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            NameFull: Gheeraert, Etienne
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 44
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            – TitleFull: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology: Part A-Vacuums, Surfaces & Films
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