Abstract
Black Silicon nanostructures are fabricated by Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching (ICP-RIE) in a gas mixture of SF6 and O2 at non-cryogenic temperatures. The structure evolution and the dependency of final structure geometry on the main processing parameters gas composition and working pressure are investigated and explained comprehensively. The optical properties of the produced Black Silicon structures, a distinct antireflection and light trapping effect, are resolved by optical spectroscopy and conclusively illustrated by optical simulations of accurate models of the real nanostructures. By that the structure sidewall roughness is found to be critical for an elevated reflectance of Black Silicon resulting from non-optimized etching processes. By analysis of a multitude of structures fabricated under different conditions, approximate limits for the range of feasible nanostructure geometries are derived. Finally, the technological applicability of Black Silicon fabrication by ICP-RIE is discussed.
Highlights
Silicon micro- and nanostructures have a broad, emerging application spectrum ranging from optics and optoelectronics over chemical and biological sensing to photo-electrochemical energy harvesting and energy storage
Black Silicon nanostructures are fabricated by Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching (ICP-reactive ion etching (RIE)) in a gas mixture of SF6 and O2 at non-cryogenic temperatures
In order to close the experimental gap between the low and high temperature Black Silicon etching regimes, this paper summarizes our studies concerning Black Silicon fabrication by inductively coupled plasma (ICP-RIE) at moderate temperatures (À40 C...À30 C) that we conducted over the last years
Summary
Silicon micro- and nanostructures have a broad, emerging application spectrum ranging from optics and optoelectronics over chemical and biological sensing to photo-electrochemical energy harvesting and energy storage. Comparing the different attempts of nanostructure formation, the last-mentioned dry etching method exhibits some distinct advantages. It is a reliable and reproducible, yet self-organized process that does not necessitate any applied mask. Due to the random formation of micromasks (mainly consisting of silicon oxyfluoride), “silicon grass” develops in the etched trenches during fabrication. Relying on this effect, Jansen et al proposed the so-called “Black Silicon method” in 1995 as a tool to identify optimal conditions for vertical silicon deep etching in SF6-O2-CHF3 mixtures..
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