Plasma etching or Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) is the workhorse for patterning of semiconductor devices since the early 1980-ies when it replaced wet etching in manufacturing. Today, RIE is reaching levels of performance which were unimaginable back then. At the same time, etching technologies such as Atomic Layer Etching (ALE), radical, dry vapor and Ion Beam Etching are finding their way into manufacturing for certain applications.

We will present an overview of dry etching technologies used in semiconductor manufacturing. The emphasis is on the elementary surface processes and how they impact the performance on the wafer. We will start from less complex etching technologies which use just one kind of etching species, such as neutrals, radicals or ions. Then we combine these techniques into cycling processes which leads to the discussion of ALE. The highest level of complexity is reached in RIE with simultaneous species fluxes. Reactor designs for the various etching technologies and process control will be covered. Finally, and an outlook into the future of semiconductor device etching will be given.