Comparison of linear transformations for deriving kinetic constants during silicon etching in Cl2 environment

Abstract

The chemical etching of n-type polycrystalline silicon films in Cl2 environment at three different temperatures is investigated. The experimental dependences of silicon etching rate on pressure of Cl2 molecules are described using the Michaelis–Menten equation. The experimental data are presented using Lineweaver–Burk, Hanes-Woolf, and Eadie–Hofstee plots. The linear transformations are used to derive reaction rate constants, desorption rate constants, and Michaelis constants. True values of the kinetic constants are determined using Michaelis–Menten saturation curves. The linear transformations are compared using mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs) of the kinetic constants. It is found that the Hanes–Woolf plot provides the most accurate values of the kinetic constants.