Wet-chemical nanoscale patterning of GaAs surfaces using atomic force microscope lithography
✍ Scribed by B. Klehn; S. Skaberna; U. Kunze
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 461 KB
- Volume
- 25
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0749-6036
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✦ Synopsis
Sub-100 nm V-grooves in GaAs(001) surfaces have been fabricated by patterning a thin photoresist layer with an atomic force microscope (AFM) and subsequent wet-chemical etching. The nanolithography is based on the dynamic ploughing technique. Anisotropic etchants under investigation are bromine-methanol-isopropanol, sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide-water, citric acid-hydrogen peroxide-water, and ammonium hydroxide-hydrogen peroxide-water. Along the [110] direction the etched grooves are V-shaped, along [1 10] the profile is U-shaped. Best results of 50-60-nm wide V-grooves with straight edges and smooth sidewalls are obtained from bromine-methanol-isopropanol, the other etchants form rough grooves. Concerning the reproducibility of the patterning process, the aqueous etch solutions exceed the bromine etchant.