Investigation of Si(h k l) surfaces etched in KOH solutions saturated with tertiary-butyl alcohol

Abstract

Anisotropic etching of silicon in KOH solutions saturated with tertiary-butyl alcohol (tert-butanol) was studied in this paper. The influence of KOH concentration of the solution with tert-butanol on Si(1 0 0) surface roughness and convex corners undercut were examined. It was shown that the largest reduction of convex corner undercut is achievable at low (3 M) concentration of KOH, at which, though, the (1 0 0) surface is densely covered with hillocks. The study on etch rate anisotropy and surface morphology of silicon substrates with different crystallographic orientations etched in 3 M KOH solutions with tert-butanol was conducted. The advantage of tert-butanol over isopropanol in terms of shaping three-dimensional structures in the (2 2 1) substrate was presented. The impact of agitation of the etching solution on roughness of (1 1 0) and (h h 1) surfaces and the distribution of hillocks on (1 0 0) and (h 1 1) surfaces were shown. Based on surface tension measurements and theoretical considerations, an adsorption explanation of the visible difference in (1 0 0) surface morphologies in the case of solutions saturated with tert-butanol and isopropanol was proposed. The KOH solution with tert-butanol could be particularly useful for texturing Si(1 0 0) surfaces, due to the possibility of achieving a dense surface coverage with hillocks in the solution saturated with the alcohol.