Practically any organic material can be processed using plasma etching. The etching effect is based on the same chemical reaction as cleaning. Only the various parameters, such as time and power, are adapted to the requirements.
In addition to oxygen, other gases can be added which can significantly increase the etching rate. Fluorinated gases such as CF4 are usually used. The fluorine radicals produced are considerably more reactive than the oxygen plasma. However, the reaction products must be retained by suitable filters.