The effect of passivation to etching duration ratio on bipolar electrochemical etching of porous layer stacks in germanium

Abstract

The effect of the passivation to etching duration ratio on the bipolar electrochemical etching of highly p-doped germanium on its pore structures has been investigated. The final goal is the development of porous multi-layer stacks consisting of a closed growth template and separation layer for lift-off. In particular, changing the passivation duration allows different types of porous structures to be obtained. These range from a strong crystallographic orientation dependent dissolution to multi-layer structures consisting of “sponge” and “pine-tree” shapes. In this work, the degree of passivation was considered first and foremost since it is one way of controlling the formation of molecular hydrogen and surface atom protection. In addition, certain areas of the porous structure can be protected and, assuming a different space charge region width, selective etching is possible. Finally, by combining various successive processes, a porous multi-layer structure can be etched, including separation layers. In this work the most dominant reoccurring structures have been described using a model that contains the aforementioned assumptions.