High Selective Etching of Aluminum Alloys In High Plasma Density Reactor

An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) discharge and its etching behaviors for aluminum alloys were investigated in this report. A radio frequency power supply was used for plasma generation. The unique hardware configuration enabled one to control ion energy separately from plasma density. Plasma properties were measured with a Langmuir probe. Electron temperature, plasma potential and plasma density were found to be comparable with those reported from Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) and other types of reactors[1].A mixture of HBr and chlorine gases were used for this aluminum etch study. Experimental matrices were designed with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to analyze the process trends versus etch parameters, such as source power, bias power and gas composition. An etch rate of 8500A to 9000A per minute was obtained at 5 to 15 mTorr pressure ranges. Anisotropic profiles with high photoresist selectivity (5 to 1) and silicon dioxide selectivity greater than 10 were achieved with HBr addition into chlorine plasma.Bromine-containing chemistry for an aluminum etch in a low pressure ICP discharge showed great potential for use in ULSI fabrication. In addition, the hardware used was very simple and the chamber size was much smaller than other high density plasma sources.

Fabrication of Through Micro-hole Arrays in Silicon Using Femtosecond Laser Irradiation and Selective Chemical Etching

We demonstrate a method of fabricating through micro-holes and micro-hole arrays in silicon using femtosecond laser irradiation and selective chemical etching. The micro-hole formation mechanism is identified as the chemical reaction of the femtosecond laser-induced structure change zone and hydrofluoric acid solution. The morphologies of the through micro-holes and micro-hole arrays are characterized by using scanning electronic microscopy, The effects of the pulse number on the depth and diameter of the holes are investigated. Honeycomb arrays of through micro-holes fabricated at different laser powers and pulse numbers are demonstrated.

Selective electrochemical etching of cantilever-type SOI-MEMS devices

It is possible to achieve selective electrochemical etching between different materials,such as p-and n-type silicon.However,achieving selective electrochemical etching on two different regions of the same p-type silicon material is a problem that has rarely been considered.Herein,a novel selective electrochemical etching technique for cantilever-type silicon-on-insulator(SOI)wafer-based microswitches is proposed.In this study,a p-type handle layer was selectively etched,and a p-type device layer was passivated.This was achieved using a circuit with two voltage sources:voltages of−1.2 and 0 V were applied to the handle and device layers,respectively.It was found that the proposed etching process can effectively prevent the in-use sticking of a cantilever-type switch.This is accomplished by increasing the gap between the device layer and its underlying handle layer and increasing the roughness of these layers.The technique is applicable to the fabrication of various cantilever-type SOI microelectromechanical systems,irrespective of the resistivity of the SOI wafer.

Steering surface reconstruction of hybrid metal oxides for efficient oxygen evolution reaction in water splitting and zinc-air batteries

Surface reconstruction yields real active species in electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction(OER)conditions;however,rationally regulating reconstruction in a targeted manner for constructing highly active OER electrocatalysts remains a formidable challenge.Here,an electrochemical activation strategy with selective etching was utilized to guide the reconstruction process of a hybrid cobalt-molybdenum oxide(CoMoO_(4)/Co_(3)O_(4)@CC)in a favorable direction to improve the OER performance.Both in-situ Raman and multiple ex-situ characterization tools demonstrate that controlled surface reconstruction can be easily achieved through Mo etching,with the formation of a dynamically stable amorphous-crystalline heterostructure.Theoretical calculations together with experimental results reveal that the synergistic effects between amorphous CoOOH and crystalline Co_(3)O_(4) are crucial in enhancing the catalytic performance.Consequently,the reconstructed CoMoO_(4)/Co_(3)O_(4)@CC exhibits a low overpotential of 250 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2) in 1 M KOH,and more importantly it can be practiced in electrolytic water splitting and rechargeable zinc-air batteries devices,achieving ultra-long stability for over 500 and 1200 h,respectively.This work provides a promising route for the construction of high-performance electrocatalysts.

Friction-Induced Nanofabrication: A Review

As the bridge between basic principles and applications of nanotechnology,nanofabrication methods play significant role in supporting the development of nanoscale science and engineering,which is changing and improving the production and lifestyle of the human.Photo lithography and other alternative technologies,such as nanoimprinting,electron beam lithography,focused ion beam cutting,and scanning probe lithography,have brought great progress of semiconductor industry,IC manufacturing and micro/nanoelectromechanical system(MEMS/NEMS)devices.However,there remains a lot of challenges,relating to the resolution,cost,speed,and so on,in realizing high-quality products with further development of nanotechnology.None of the existing techniques can satisfy all the needs in nanoscience and nanotechnology at the same time,and it is essential to explore new nanofabrication methods.As a newly developed scanning probe microscope(SPM)-based lithography,friction-induced nanofabrication provides opportunities for maskless,flexible,low-damage,low-cost and environment-friendly processing on a wide variety of materials,including silicon,quartz,glass surfaces,and so on.It has been proved that this fabrication route provides with a broad application prospect in the fabrication of nanoimprint templates,microfluidic devices,and micro/nano optical structures.This paper hereby involved the principals and operations of friction-induced nanofabrication,including friction-induced selective etching,and the applications were reviewed as well for looking ahead at opportunities and challenges with nanotechnology development.The present review will not only enrich the knowledge in nanotribology,but also plays a positive role in promoting SPM-based nanofabrication.

Coaxial boron nitride nanotubes as interfacial dielectric layers to lower interface trap density in carbon nanotube transistors

A semiconductor/dielectric interface is one of the dominant factors in device characteristics,and a variety of oxides with high dielectric constants and low interface trap densities have been used in carbon nanotube transistors.Given the crystal structure of nanotubes with no dangling bonds,there remains room to investigate unconventional dielectric materials.Here,we fabricate carbon nanotube transistors with boron nitride nanotubes as interfacial layers between channels and gate dielectrics,where a single semiconducting nanotube is used to focus on switching behaviors at the subthreshold regime.The subthreshold swing of 68 mV·dec^(−1)is obtained despite a 100-nm-thick Sio_(2)dielectric,corresponding to the effective interface trap density of 5.2×10^(11)cm^(−2)·eV^(−1),one order of magnitude lower than those of carbon nanotube devices without boron nitride passivation.The interfacial layers also result in the mild suppression of threshold voltage variation and hysteresis.We achieve Ohmic contacts through the selective etching of boron nitride nanotubes with XeF2 gas,overcoming the trade-off imposed by wrapping the inner nanotubes.Negligible impacts of fluorinating carbon nanotubes on device performances are also confirmed as long as the etching is applied exclusively at source/drain regions.Our results represent an important step toward nanoelectronics that exploit the advantage of one-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures.

Understanding the macroscopical flexibility/fragility of nanoporous Ag:Depending on network connectivity and micro-defects

The effective engineering applications of nanoporous metals(NPMs)in flexible energy storage and wearable healthcare biosensor monitoring require its uniform ligaments network,specifically crack-free and flexible monolithic bodies.However,the macroscopic fragility of NPMs restricts their applications in wearable electronics fields.Here we focus on the synthetization of highly flexible NPMs.The effects of structural factors,e.g.ligament-network connectivity and micro-cracks on the mechanical properties of nanoporous Ag(np Ag)are investigated.The well-interconnected np Ag metal exhibits higher tensile strength,nanohardness and Vickers hardness than those for the ill-interconnected np Ag metal.The quality of the network connectivity dominates the strength and hardness of the np Ag.The flexibility/fragility is determined by the micro-crack in np Ag.The crack-free np Ag exhibits good flexible behavior.When micro-cracks are introduced,the np Ag becomes fragile.The control of soft volume shrinkage rate(Vsr)and slow surface diffusivity(Ds)effectively suppresses the crack initiation and propagation of as-formed np Ag.These results provide useful insights to synthesize more flexible and crack-free NPM materials for effective use in public wearable electronics and diverse flexible engineering applications in the future.

A wrinkle to sub-100 nm yolk/shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles

Yolk/shell nanoparticles （NPs）, which integrate functional cores （likes Fe3O4） and an inert SiO2 shell, are very important for applications in fields such as biomedicine and catalysis. An acidic medium is an excellent etchant to achieve hollow SiO2 but harmful to most functional cores. Reported here is a method for preparing sub-100 nm yolk/shell Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs by a mild acidic etching strategy. Our results demonstrate that establishment of a dissolution-diffusion equilibrium of silica is essential for achieving yolk/shell Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs. A uniform increase in the silica compactness from the inside to the outside and an appropriate pH value of the etchant are the main factors controlling the thickness and cavity of the SiO2 shell. Under our ＂standard etching code＂, the acid-sensitive Fe3O4 core can be perfectly preserved and the SiO2 shell can be selectively etched away. The mechanism of etching was investigated. regulation of SiO2 etching and acidic