Anisotropic etching mechanisms of 4H-SiC:Experimental and first-principles insights

Molten-alkali etching has been widely used to reveal dislocations in 4H silicon carbide(4H-SiC),which has promoted the identification and statistics of dislocation density in 4H-SiC single crystals.However,the etching mechanism of 4H-SiC is limited misunderstood.In this letter,we reveal the anisotropic etching mechanism of the Si face and C face of 4H-SiC by combining molten-KOH etching,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and first-principles investigations.The activation energies for the molten-KOH etching of the C face and Si face of 4H-SiC are calculated to be 25.09 and 35.75 kcal/mol,respectively.The molten-KOH etching rate of the C face is higher than the Si face.Combining XPS analysis and first-principles calculations,we find that the molten-KOH etching of 4H-SiC is proceeded by the cycling of the oxidation of 4H-SiC by the dissolved oxygen and the removal of oxides by molten KOH.The faster etching rate of the C face is caused by the fact that the oxides on the C face are unstable,and easier to be removed with molten alkali,rather than the C face being easier to be oxidized.

In-situ end-point detection during ion-beam etching of multilayer dielectric gratings

An in-situ end-point detection technique for ion-beam etching is presented. A laser beam of the same wavelength and polarization as those in the intended application of the grating is fed into the vacuum chamber, and the beam retro-diffracted by the grating under etching is extracted and detected outside the chamber. This arrangement greatly simplifies the end-point detection. Modeling the grating diffraction with a rigorous diffraction grating computer program, we can satisfactorily simulate the evolution of the diffraction intensity during the etching process and consequently, we can accurately predict the end-point. Employing the proposed technique, we have reproducibly fabricated multilayer dielectric gratings with diffraction efficiencies of more than 92%.

The etching strategy of zinc anode to enable high performance zinc-ion batteries

Zinc-ion batteries(ZIBs)are considered to be one of the most promising candidates to replace lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)due to the high theoretical capacity,low cost and intrinsic safety.However,zinc dendrites,hydrogen evolution reaction,surface passivation and other side reactions will inevitably occur during the charging and discharging process of Zn anode,which will seriously affect the cycle stability of the battery and hinder its practical application.The etching strategy of Zn anode has attracted wide attention because of its simple operation and broad commercial prospects,and the etched Zn anode can effectively improve its electrochemical performance.However,there is no comprehensive review of the etching strategy of Zn anode.This review first summarizes the challenges faced by Zn anode,then puts forward the etching mechanisms and properties of acid,salt and other etchants.Finally,based on the above discussion,the challenges and opportunities of Zn anode etching strategy are proposed.

Etching of quartz crystals in liquid phase environment:A review

Quartz crystals are the most widely used material in resonant sensors,owing to their excellent piezoelectric and mechanical properties.With the development of portable and wearable devices,higher processing efficiency and geometrical precision are required.Wet etching has been proven to be the most efficient etching method for large-scale production of quartz devices,and many wet etching approaches have been developed over the years.However,until now,there has been no systematic review of quartz crystal etching in liquid phase environments.Therefore,this article provides a comprehensive review of the development of wet etching processes and the achievements of the latest research in thisfield,covering conventional wet etching,additive etching,laser-induced backside wet etching,electrochemical etching,and electrochemical discharge machining.For each technique,a brief overview of its characteristics is provided,associated problems are described,and possible solutions are discussed.This review should provide an essential reference and guidance for the future development of processing strategies for the manufacture of quartz crystal devices.

Etching Mechanism of Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2) MXene Phases by CuCl_(2)-Lewis Molten Salt Method

We described a method for obtaining fluorine-free Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2)MXene phases by melting copper in CuCl_(2)instead of aluminum in Ti_(3)AlC_(2).XRD results show that when molten salt CuCl_(2)etches Ti_(3)AlC_(2),it forms an intermediate product Ti_(3)CuC_(2),and then reacts with Ti_(3)CuC_(2)to obtain Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2).The reaction of Ti_(3)AlC_(2)and CuCl_(2)at a temperature of 800℃for 2 h to obtain Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2)with an optimal lamellar structure is shown in SEM results.The pseudopotential plane-wave(PP-PW)method is used to calculate on the electronic structure.The etching mechanism is investigated by the total energies of each substance.The chemical reaction of Ti_(3)AlC_(2)and CuCl_(2)will first become Ti_(3)CuC_(2)and Cu,and then become Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2)during the Lewis acid etching process,which are consistent with the experimental results.

Remote plasma enhanced cyclic etching of a cyclosiloxane polymer thin film

The continuous evolution of chip manufacturing demands the development of materials with ultra-low dielectric constants.With advantageous dielectric and mechanical properties,initiated chemical vapor deposited(iCVD)poly(1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-trivinyl cyclotrisiloxane)(pV3D3)emerges as a promising candidate.However,previous works have not explored etching for this cyclosiloxane polymer thin film,which is indispensable for potential applications to the back-end-of-line fabrication.Here,we developed an etching process utilizing O2/Ar remote plasma for cyclic removal of iCVD pV3D3 thin film at sub-nanometer scale.We employed in-situ quartz crystal microbalance to investigate the process parameters including the plasma power,plasma duration and O2 flow rate.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cross-sectional microscopy reveal the formation of an oxidized skin layer during the etching process.This skin layer further substantiates an etching mechanism driven by surface oxidation and sputtering.Additionally,this oxidized skin layer leads to improved elastic modulus and hardness and acts as a barrier layer for protecting the bottom cyclosiloxane polymer from further oxidation.

Mechanism of K/Ni Etching for Biochar-H_(2)O Gasification

Biomass-H_(2)O gasification is a complex thermochemical reaction,including three processes of volatile removal:homogeneous/heterogeneous reforming,biochar gasification and etching.The rate-determining step is biochar-H_(2)O gasification and etching so the DFT is carried out to see the catalytic role of different metal elements(K/Ni)in the zigzag biochar model.The calculation results show that the gasification of biochar-H_(2)O needs to go through four processes:dissociative adsorption of water,hydrogen transfer(hydrogen desorption,hydrogen atom transfer),carbon dissolution and CO desorption.The energy barrier indicated that the most significant step in reducing the activation energy of K is reflected in the hydrogen transfer step,which is reduced from 374.14 kJ/mol to 152.41 kJ/mol;the catalytic effect of Ni is mainly reflected in the carbon dissolution step,which is reduced from 122.34 kJ/mol to 84.8 kJ/mol.The existence of K causes the edge to have a stronger attraction to H and does not destroy theπbonds of biochar molecules.The destruction ofπbonds is mainly due to the role of H free radicals,while the destruction ofπbonds will lead to easier C-C bond rupture.Ni shows a strong attraction to O in OH,which forms strong Ni-O chemical bonds.Ni can also destroy the aromatic structure directly,making the gasification easier to happen.This study explored the catalytic mechanism of K/Ni on the biochar-H_(2)O gasification at the molecular level and looked forward to the potential synergy of K/Ni,laying a foundation for experimental research and catalyst design.

In situ synthesis of SnPS_(3)/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) hybrid anode via molten salt etching method for superior sodium-ion batteries

Recently,SnPS_(3) has gained attention as an impressive sodium-ion battery anode material because of its significant theoretical specific capacity derived from the conversion-alloying reaction mechanism.Nevertheless,its practical applicability is restricted by insufficient rate ability,and severe capacity loss due to inadequate electrical conductivity and dramatic volume expansion.Inspired by the electrochemical enhancement effect of MXene substrates and the innovative Lewis acidic etching for MXene preparation,SnPS_(3)/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene(T=-Cl and-O) is constructed by synchronously phospho-sulfurizing Sn/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) precursor.Benefiting from the boosted Na^(+) diffusion and electron transfer rates,as well as the mitigated stress expansion,the synthesized SnPS_(3/)Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) composite demonstrates enhanced rate capability(647 mA h g^(-1) at 10 A g^(-1)) alongside satisfactory long-term cycling stability(capacity retention of 94.6% after 2000 cycles at 5 A g^(-1)).Importantly,the assembled sodium-ion full cell delivers an impressive capacity retention of 97.7% after undergoing 1500 cycles at 2 A g^(-1).Moreover,the sodium storage mechanism of the SnPS_(3/)Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) electrode is elucidated through in-situ and ex-situ characterizations.This work proposes a novel approach to ameliorate the energy storage performance of thiophosphites by facile in-situ construction of composites with MXene.

Effect of chemical plating Zn on DC-etching behavior of Al foil in HCl-H_2SO_4

The Al foil for high voltage Al electrolytic capacitor usage was immersed in 5.0%NaOH solution containing trace amount of Zn2＋and Zn was chemically plated on its surface through an immersion-reduction reaction. Such Zn-deposited Al foil was quickly transferred into HCl-H 2 SO 4 solution for DC-etching. The effects of Zn impurity on the surface and cross-section etching morphologies and electrochemical behavior of Al foil were investigated by SEM, polarization curve （PC） and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）. The special capacitance of 100 V formation voltage of etched foil was measured. The results show that the chemical plating Zn on Al substrate in alkali solution can reduce the pitting corrosion resistance, enhance the pitting current density and improve the density and uniform distribution of pits and tunnels due to formation of the micro Zn-Al galvanic local cells. The special capacitance of etched foil grows with the increase of Zn2＋concentration.

Effect of pretreatment on electrochemical etching behavior of Al foil in HCl-H_2SO_4

The aluminum foil for high voltage aluminum electrolytic capacitor was immersed in 0.5 mol/L H3PO4 or 0.125 mol/L NaOH solution at 40 ℃ for different time and then DC electro-etched in 1 mol/L HC1＋2.5 mol/L H2SO4 electrolyte at 80 ℃. The pitting potential and self corrosion potential of A1 foil were measured with polarization curves （PC）. The potentiostatic current--time curve was recorded and the surface and cross section images of etched A1 foil were observed with SEM. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） of etched A1 foil and potential transient curves （PTC） during initial etching stage were measured. The results show the chemical pretreatments can activate A1 foil surface, facilitate the absorption, diffusion and migration of C1- onto the A1 foil during etching, and improve the initiation rate of meta-stable pits and density of stable pits and tunnels, leading to much increase in the real surface area and special capacitance of etched A1 foil.

Chemical etching process of copper electrode for bioelectrical impedance technology

In order to obtain bioelectrical impedance electrodes with high stability, the chemical etching process was used to fabricate the copper electrode with a series of surface microstructures. By changing the etching processing parameters, some comparison experiments were performed to reveal the influence of etching time, etching temperature, etching liquid concentration, and sample sizes on the etching rate and surface microstructures of copper electrode. The result shows that the etching rate is decreased with increasing etching time, and is increased with increasing etching temperature. Moreover, it is found that the sample size has little influence on the etching rate. After choosing the reasonable etching liquid composition （formulation 3）, the copper electrode with many surface microstructures can be obtained by chemical etching process at room temperature for 20 rain. In addition, using the alternating current impedance test of electrode-electrode for 24 h, the copper electrode with a series of surface microstructures fabricated by the etching process presents a more stable impedance value compared with the electrocardiograph （ECG） electrode, resulting from the reliable surface contact of copper electrode-electrode.

Optimization of Plasma Etching Parameters and Mask for Silica Optical Waveguides

Optical waveguides in silica-on-silicon are one of the key elements in optical communications.The processes of deep etching silica waveguides using resist and metal masks in RIE plasma are investigated.The etching responses,including etching rate and selectivity as functions of variation of parameters,are modeled with a 3D neural network.A novel resist/metal combined mask that can overcome the single-layer masks’ limitations is developed for enhancing the waveguides deep etching and low-loss optical waveguides are fabricated at last.

Etching Behavior of GaN/GaAs(001) Epilayers Grown by MOVPE

Wet etching characteristics of cubic GaN (c GaN) thin films grown on GaAs(001) by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) are investigated.The samples are etched in HCl,H 3PO 4,KOH aqueous solutions,and molten KOH at temperatures in the range of 90～300℃.It is found that different solution produces different etch figure on the surfaces of a sample.KOH based solutions produce rectangular pits rather than square pits.The etch pits elongate in 1 0] direction,indicating asymmetric etching behavior in the two orthogonal <110> directions.An explanation based on relative reactivity of the various crystallographic planes is employed to interpret qualitatively the asymmetric etching behavior.In addition,it is found that KOH aqueous solution would be more suitable than molten KOH and the two acids for the evaluation of stacking faults in c GaN epilayers. direction,indicating asymmetric etching behavior in the two orthogonal <110> directions.An explanation based on relative reactivity of the various crystallographic planes is employed to interpret qualitatively the asymmetric etching behavior.In addition,it is found that KOH aqueous solution would be more suitable than molten KOH and the two acids for the evaluation of stacking faults in c GaN epilayers.

TDC Model for PSG Sacrificial Layer Etching with Hydrofluoric Acid

HF etching of sacrificial layers with different The existing model cannot fit the experimental data well perimental data increases with etching time. A modified structures, namely channel, bubble, and joint-channel, is studied. The error of etching rate between the existing model and the exmodel considering the diffusion coefficient as a function of HF concentration and temperature is proposed. The etching rate coefficient as a function of temperature and the effect of reaction production are also considered in the modified model. For the joint-channel structure, a new mathematical model for the etching profile is also adopted. Experimental data obtained with channel, bubble, and joint-channel structures are compared with the modified model and the previous model. The results show that the modified model matches the experiments well.

High-Power and High-Efficiency 650nm-Band AlGaInP Visible Laser Diodes Fabricated by Ion Beam Etching

High power and high-slope efficiency 650nm band real-refractive-index ridge w aveguide AlGaInP laser diodes with compressive strained MQW active layer are for med by pure Ar ion beam etching process.Symmetric laser mesas with high perpendi cularity,which are impossible to obtain by traditional wet etching method due to the use of a 15°-misoriented substrate,are obtained by this dry etching metho d.Laser diodes with 4μm wide,600μm long and 10%/90% coat are fabricated.Th e typical threshold current of these devices is 46mA at room temperature,and a s table fundamental-mode operation over 40mW is obtained.Very high slope efficien cy of 1.4W/A at 10mW and 1.1W/A at 40mW are realized.

One-step Fabrication of Nanoporous Black Silicon Surfaces for Solar Cells using Modified Etching Solution

Currently, a conventional two-step method has been used to generate black silicon （BS） surfaces on silicon substrates for solar cell manufacturing. However, the performances of the solar cell made with such surface generation method are poor, because of the high surface recombination caused by deep etching in the conventional surface generation method for BS. In this work, a modified wet chemical etching solution with additives was developed. A homogeneous BS layer with random porous structure was obtained from the modified solution in only one step at room temperature. The BS layer had low reflectivity and shallow etching depth. The additive in the etch solution performs the function of pH-modulation. After 16-min etching, the etching depth in the samples was approximately 200 nm, and the spectrum-weighted-reflectivity in the range from 300 nm to 1200 nm was below 5%. BS solar cells were fabricated in the production line. The decreased etching depth can improve the electrical performance of solar cells because of the decrease in surface recombination. An efficiency of 15.63% for the modified etching BS solar cells was achieved on a large area, p- type single crystalline silicon substrate with a 624.32-mV open circuit voltage and a 77.88% fill factor.

Etching Fused Quartz With CHF_3/Ar

报道了用氟利昂ＣＨＦ３和氩气Ａｒ作工作气体的反应离子刻蚀融石英的技术，研究了气体流速、腔压和射频等离子体功率对刻蚀速度的影响，并分析了刻蚀工艺对样品表面的污染，同时也考察了刻蚀工艺的均匀性和重复性。为了优化刻蚀工艺，采用Ｒｓ１／Ｄｉｓｃｏｖｅｒ软件工具设计优化实验。实验中射频等离子体功率在１２０～１６０Ｗ范围，氩气和氟利昂流速分别在１５～３５ｓｃｍ和２０～５０ｓｃｃｍ范围，腔压在１００～１４０ｍＴｏｒ范围，相应的刻蚀速度为１５～２５ｎｍ／ｍｉｎ。

TREATMENT OF METALS, POLYMER FILMS, AND FABRICS WITHA ONE ATMOSPHERE UNIFORM GLOW DISCHARGE PLASMA(OAUGDP) FOR INCREASED SURFACE ENERGY AND DIRECTIONAL ETCHING

Direct exposure of samples to the active species of air generated by a One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP) has been used to etch and to increase the surface energy of metallic surfaces, photoresist, polymer films, and nonwoven fab- rics. The OAUGDP is a non-thermal plasma with the classical characteristics of a DC normal glow discharge that operates in air (and other gases) at atmospheric pres- sure. Neither a vacuum system nor batch processing is necessary. A wide range of applications to metals, photoresist, films, fabrics, and polymeric webs can be accom- modated by direct exposure of the workpiece to the plasma in parallel-plate reactors. This technolopy is simple, it produces effects that can be obtained in no other way at one atmosphere; it generates minimal pollutants or unwanted by-products; and it is suitable for individual sample or online treatment of metallic surfaces, wafers, films, and fabrics. Early exposures of solid materials to the OAUGDP required minutes to produce rela- tively small increases of surface energy. These durations appeared too long for com- mercial application to fast-moving webs. Recent improvements in OAUGDP gas com- position, power density, plasma quality, recireulating gas flow, and impedance match- ing of the power supply to the parallel plate plasma reactor have made it possible to raise the surface energy of a variety of polymeric webs (PP, PET PE etc.) to levels of 60 to 70 dynes/cm with one second of exposure. In air plasmas, the high surface ener- gies are not durable, and fall to 50 dynes/cm after periods of weeks to months. Here, we report the exposure of metallic surfaces, photoresist, polymeric films, and nonwo- ven fabrics made of PP and PET to an impedance matched parallel plate OAUGDP for durations ranging from one second to several tens of seconds. Data will be re- ported on the surface energy, wettability, wickability, and aging effect of polymeric films and fabrics as functions of time of exposure, and time after exposure; the rate and uniformity of photoresist etching; and the production of sub-micron structures by OAUGDP etching at one atmosphere.

Morphological evolution of tunnel tips for aluminum foils during DC etching

The morphologies of tunnel tips in different stages for aluminum foils during DC etching in 1.5 mol/L HC1 solution at 90℃ were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）. A novel model was proposed to describe the morphological evolution of tunnel tips throughout the growth processes. In the pit nucleation stage, the pits vary from the hemispherical to half-cubic shapes due to the activation of pit tips from the center to the edge. During the tunnel growth stage, the pits dissolve toward the depth direction and develop into the tunnels, and their tips remain flat. In the tip passivation stage, as the passivation of tunnel tips speeds up from the edge to the center＇s the tunnel tips change from flat shapes to three-dimensional protrusions. The mechanism may be attributed to the order of activation or passivation on the tunnel tips changed in different stages.

Experimental Study of the Influence of Process Pressure and Gas Composition on GaAs Etching Characteristics in Cl_2/BCl_3-Based Inductively Coupled Plasma

A study of Cl2/BCl3-based inductively coupled plasma （ICP） was conducted using thick photoresist mask for anisotropic etching of 50μm diameter holes in a GaAs wafer at a relatively high average etching rate for etching depths of more than 150μm. Plasma etch characteristics with ICP process pressure and the percentage of BCI3 were studied in greater detail at a constant ICP coil/bias power. The measured peak-to-peak voltage as a function of pressure was used to estimate the minimum energy of the ions bombarding the substrate. The process pressure was found to have a substantial influence on the energy of heavy ions. Various ion species in plasma showed minimum energy variation from 1.85 eV to 7.5 eV in the pressure range of 20 mTorr to 50 mTorr. The effect of pressure and the percentage of BCl3 on the etching rate and surface smoothness of the bottom surface of the etched hole were studied for a fixed total flow rate. The etching rate was found to decrease with the percentage of BCl3, whereas the addition of BCl3 resulted in anisotropic holes with a smooth veil free bottom surface at a pressure of 30 mTorr and 42% BC13. In addition, variation of the etching yield with pressure and etching depth were also investigated.