Abstract
In the present study, a friction-induced selective etching method was developed to produce nanostructures on GaAs surface. Without any resist mask, the nanofabrication can be achieved by scratching and post-etching in sulfuric acid solution. The effects of the applied normal load and etching period on the formation of the nanostructure were studied. Results showed that the height of the nanostructure increased with the normal load or the etching period. XPS and Raman detection demonstrated that residual compressive stress and lattice densification were probably the main reason for selective etching, which eventually led to the protrusive nanostructures from the scratched area on the GaAs surface. Through a homemade multi-probe instrument, the capability of this fabrication method was demonstrated by producing various nanostructures on the GaAs surface, such as linear array, intersecting parallel, surface mesas, and special letters. In summary, the proposed method provided a straightforward and more maneuverable micro/nanofabrication method on the GaAs surface.
Highlights
Due to its direct bandgap and high electron mobility, gallium arsenide (GaAs) has become one of the most widely used compound semiconductor materials
The etching period was found to show an obvious effect on the fabrication of GaAs nanostructures
On the GaAs surface under a normal load Fn of 20 mN, a groove with a depth of about 15 nm was created on the GaAs surface
Summary
Due to its direct bandgap and high electron mobility, gallium arsenide (GaAs) has become one of the most widely used compound semiconductor materials. GaAs is the perfect substrate for quantum luminescent devices, such as photoelectric detector [1], highperformance laser [2], quantum information processing [3], and so on. The precondition for realizing these quantum devices is to grow quantum dots on certain positions of substrate [4,5]. The controllable fabrication of the patterned GaAs substrate is a significant issue of concern. The photolithography has been used for the fabrication on GaAs surface [6]. The electron beam (EB) [8] and focused ion beam (FIB) [9] lithography technology can enable higher machining precision and finer resolution patterning, these techniques are costly and complex, Tribology Research Institute, National Traction Power Laboratory, Southwest
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