Aspect Ratio-Dependent Etching in Silicon using XeF2: Experimental Investigation and Comparative Analysis with Dry Etching Methods

Abstract

Abstract Silicon machining plays a crucial role in shaping three-dimensional structures for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) applications. This study investigates Aspect Ratio Dependent Etching (ARDE) across various silicon etching processes, with a particular focus on Xenon Difluoride (XeF2) etching, in comparison to Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) and Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE).By exploring different etching parameters, the study highlights the presence of ARDE in both plasma and non-plasma etching processes. Additionally, it is demonstrated that ARDE can be modeled by a saturating exponential function through experimental adjustment of parameters, enabling the prediction of etching profiles.