Formation and damage of sidewalls after Cl2/CH4 based reactive ion beam of InP

Abstract

The cause of anisotropic etching of a reactive ion etching (RIE) process for InP/InGaAsP involving a mixture of Cl2, Ar, CH4, and H2 is investigated, applying Auger photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron spectroscopy. The extend of sidewall damage is given. An InP/InGaAsP heterostructure quantum wirelike structure is fabricated and the effect on the photoluminescence intensity and wavelength is reported. Successful device fabrication using RIE is demonstrated.