This document discusses wet chemical etching of silicon using strong alkaline solutions like KOH and TMAH. It describes how etching is highly anisotropic, with the {111} crystal plane etching much slower than the {100} and {110} planes. This allows forming structures like pyramids and trenches. The degree of anisotropy depends on factors like temperature and doping concentration. Isotropic etching uses HF/HNO3 mixtures, where HNO3 oxidizes silicon and HF etches the resulting SiO2. The etch rates depend on concentrations of these chemicals and additives. The document also provides details on a silicon etch solution sold by the company.
This document discusses wet chemical etching of silicon using strong alkaline solutions like KOH and TMAH. It describes how etching is highly anisotropic, with the {111} crystal plane etching much slower than the {100} and {110} planes. This allows forming structures like pyramids and trenches. The degree of anisotropy depends on factors like temperature and doping concentration. Isotropic etching uses HF/HNO3 mixtures, where HNO3 oxidizes silicon and HF etches the resulting SiO2. The etch rates depend on concentrations of these chemicals and additives. The document also provides details on a silicon etch solution sold by the company.
This document discusses wet chemical etching of silicon using strong alkaline solutions like KOH and TMAH. It describes how etching is highly anisotropic, with the {111} crystal plane etching much slower than the {100} and {110} planes. This allows forming structures like pyramids and trenches. The degree of anisotropy depends on factors like temperature and doping concentration. Isotropic etching uses HF/HNO3 mixtures, where HNO3 oxidizes silicon and HF etches the resulting SiO2. The etch rates depend on concentrations of these chemicals and additives. The document also provides details on a silicon etch solution sold by the company.
This document discusses wet chemical etching of silicon using strong alkaline solutions like KOH and TMAH. It describes how etching is highly anisotropic, with the {111} crystal plane etching much slower than the {100} and {110} planes. This allows forming structures like pyramids and trenches. The degree of anisotropy depends on factors like temperature and doping concentration. Isotropic etching uses HF/HNO3 mixtures, where HNO3 oxidizes silicon and HF etches the resulting SiO2. The etch rates depend on concentrations of these chemicals and additives. The document also provides details on a silicon etch solution sold by the company.
of Silicon Revised: 2007-03-07 Source: www.microchemicals.eu/technical-information
Anisotropic Silicon Etching
Strong alkaline substances (pH > 12) such as aqueous KOH- or TMAH-solutions etch Si via Si + 4 OH- à Si(OH)4 + 4e-. Since the bonding energy of Si atoms is different for each crystal plane, and KOH/TMAH Si etching is not diffusion- but etch rate limited, Si etching is highly anisotropic: While the {100}- and {110}-crystal planes are being etched, the stable {111} planes act as an etch stop: (111)-orientated Si- wafers are almost not at- [100] tacked by the etch. (100)-orientated wafers form square-based pyra- [111] mids with {111} sur- faces. These pyramids {111} are realised on c-Si solar cells for the purpose of reflection minimization. (110)-orientated wafers f or m perpen di cu l ar trenches wi th {11 1} side-walls, used as e. g. microchannels in micro- me ch an i cs an d mi - [100] crofluidics. [010] The degree of anisotropy [110] (= etch rate selectivity between different crystal planes), the etch rates, and the etching homoge- neity depend on the etchin g tem perature, atomic defects in the sili- Anisotropic con crystal, intrinsic im- etching purities of the Si crystal, {100} {110} impurities (metal ions) by the etchant, and the [100] [110] concentration of Si-at- oms already etched. The doping concentration of the Si to be etched also strongly impacts on the etching: During etch- i n g, B or on d oped S i forms borosilicate glass on the surface which acts {111} as etch stop if the boron doping concentration ex- ceeds 1019 cm-3. Photoresists, developers, remover, adhesion promoters, etchants, and solvents ... Phone: +49 731 36080-409 Fax: +49 731 36080-908 e-Mail: sales@microchemicals.eu MicroChemicals GmbH The following table lists etch rates of Si and the hard masks SixNy and SiO2, and etch selectivity between different crystal planes as a function of the etchant. Etch rate ratio Etch rate (absolute) Advantages (+) Etchant (100)/(111) (110)/(111) (100) Si3N4 SiO2 Disadvantages (-) KOH (-) Metal ion containing 300 600 1.4 µm/min <1 Å/min 14 Å/min (44%, 85°C) (+) Strongly anisotropic TMAH 0.3-1 (-) Weak anisotropy 37 68 <1 Å/min 2 Å/min (25%, 80°C) µm/min (+) Metal ion free (-) Weak anisotropy , toxic EDP 20 10 1.25 µm/min 1 Å/min 2 Å/min (+) Metal ion free, metallic (115°C) hard masks possible
Isotropic Etching of Silicon and SiO2
The following chemical reactions summarize the basic etch mechanism for isotropic silicon etching (steps 1-4), and SiO2 (only step 4) using a HF/HNO3 etching mixture: (1) NO2 formation (HNO2 always in traces in HNO3): HNO2 + HNO3 à 2 NO2 + H2O (2) Oxidation of silicon by NO2: 2 NO2 + Si à Si 2+ + 2 NO2- (3) Formation of SiO2: Si + 2 (OH) 2+ - à SiO2 + H2 (4) Etching of SiO2: SiO2 + 6 HF à H2SiF6 + 2H2O In conclusion, HNO3 oxidises Si, and HF etches the SiO2 hereby formed. Fig. right-hand: High HF : HNO3 ratios promote rate-lim- ited etching (strong temperature dependency of the etch [HF] Increasing etch rate) of Si via the oxidation (1) - (3), while low HF : HNO3 rate tempera- ratios promote diffusion-limited etching (lower tempera- ture depend- ture dependency of the etch rate) via step (4). HNO3- ency free HF etches do not attack Si. The SiO2 etch rate is determined by the HF-concen- Increas- tration, since the oxidation (1) - (3) does not ac- ing selec- count. Compared to thermal oxide, deposited (e. g. tivity Si/ CVD) SiO2 has a higher etch rate due to its poros- SiO2 ity; wet oxide a slightly higher etch rate than dry oxide for the same reason. An accurate control of the etch rate requires a temperature control within ± 0.5°C. Dilution with acidic acid improves wetting of the hy- drophobic Si-surface and thus increases and [H2O]+[CH 3COOH] [HNO3] homogenizes the etch rate. Doped (n- and p-type) silicon as well as phosphorus-doped SiO2 etches faster than undoped Si or SiO2. Our Silicon-Etch Our Silicon-Etch „AFN 549“ for isotropic silicon etching has the composition HF : HNO3 : CH3COOH : H2O = 10.2 % : 39.5 % : 23.2 %: 27.1 % We supply this mixture in 2.5 L sales volumes in MR quality. Other grades/sales volumes available on request.
Photoresists, developers, remover, adhesion promoters, etchants, and solvents ...