Surface morphology during anisotropic wet chemical etching of crystalline silicon
Loading...
Access rights
openAccess
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
This publication is imported from Aalto University research portal.
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Authors
Date
2003
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
1-28
Series
New Journal of Physics, Volume 5
Abstract
The rich variety of micron-scale features observed in the orientation-dependent surface morphology of crystalline silicon during anisotropic wet chemical etching is shown to have its origin at the atomistic scale. Realistic Monte Carlo simulations show that the pyramidal hillocks on Si(100) are the result of local stabilization of distributed apex atoms by (metal) impurities from solution. In the absence of this stabilization, shallow round pits are formed on Si(100) as a result of the anisotropy between (one layer deep) pit nucleation and (isotropic) step propagation. It is also concluded that nosed zigzag structures at vicinal (110) are the combined result of misaligment and the etching anisotropy, showing that the nucleating mechanisms of morphologically related structures such as pyramidal hillocks and nosed zigzags are not necessarily the same. The simulations confirm that the formation of (one layer deep) triangular and hexagonal pits on exact Si(111) and of polygonal (saw-shaped) and straight terraces in vicinal Si(111) depends on the relative rate of [1bar 21] and [bar 12bar 1] step propagation and on the misorientation of the surface with respect to Si(111).Description
Keywords
anisotropic wet chemical etching, atomistic simulations, crystalline silicon, Monte Carlo, surface coverage, surface morphology
Other note
Citation
Gosalvez , M A & Nieminen , R M 2003 , ' Surface morphology during anisotropic wet chemical etching of crystalline silicon ' , New Journal of Physics , vol. 5 , pp. 1-28 . https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/5/1/400