High speed directional etching of non conventional materials like Quartz, Lithium Niobate and Lead Titanate is still insufficiently developed for producing high aspect ratio microstructures. Compared to deep silicon etching, the plasma etching of these materials has suffered from limitations in achievable depth, aspect ratio, verticality and smoothness of surfaces. Deep etching with nearly vert...

A thin layer of a SU-8 submicrometer pattern produced by holographic lithography was directly used as the dry-etching mask in a chemically assisted ion-beam-etching system. With optimized etching parameters, etching selectivity of 7:1 was achieved together with a smooth vertical profile. As an application, a half-wavelength retardation plate for a 1.55-microm wavelength was produced and evaluated.

Periodic high aspect ratio GaAs nanopillars with widths in the range of 500-1000 nm are produced by metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) using n-type (100) GaAs substrates and Au catalyst films patterned with soft lithography. Depending on the etchant concentration and etching temperature, GaAs nanowires with either vertical or undulating sidewalls are formed with an etch rate of 1-2 μm/mi...

We demonstrate GaAs pillar array-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) with axial p-in junctions fabricated using a room-temperature metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) method. Variations in vertical etch rates for all three doping types of GaAs are investigated as a function of etching temperature, oxidant/acid concentration ratio, and dilution of the etching solution. Control over nanopill...

In this paper, we report vertical etching of poly-ethylene-terephtalate plastic substrates by means of a chemical solvent and in the presence of ultra-violet illumination. Since the PET substrate is not dissolved in solvent without a UV source, only the desired areas with proper opening for UV exposure are removed in a vertical fashion. The etch rate varies between 1 and 8 micrometer per minute...

In order to expand the use of nanoscaled silicon structures we present a new etching method that allows us to shape silicon with sub-10 nm precision. This top-down, CMOS compatible etching scheme allows us to fabricate silicon devices with quantum behavior without relying on difficult lateral lithography. We utilize this novel etching process to create quantum dots, quantum wires, vertical tran...

Presently, we successfully integrated multi-depth DRIE etching, two-poly MUMPs, and bulk releasing to accomplish superior poly-Si micro-optical systems. The stiffness of the devices was significantly increased using the trench-refilled rib structure, so that the radius of curvature (ROC) of the 2μm thick mirror even reached 150mm. In addition, the space between the devices and the substrate was...

Solution casting using a sacrificial template is a simple technique to fabricate vertical arrays of polymer nanotubes. However, because of their close proximity and high aspect ratios, large capillary forces cause nanotubes to cluster as the array dries; researchers often use special drying techniques to avoid this clustering. Here, we exploit the clustering of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophen...

Automatic release and vertical transferring of silicon/silicon oxide nanowire arrays with a high integrity are demonstrated by an Ag-assisted ammonia etching method. By adding a water steaming step between Ag-assisted HF/H2O2 and ammonia etching to form a SiOx protective layer sheathing Si nanowires, we can tune the composition of the nanowires from SiOx (0 ≤ x ≤ 2) to Si nanowires. Ag plays a ...

We have developed a one-step, hydrofluoric acid-free hydrothermal etching method that not only produces bismuth nano/micrometer-sized spheres but also prepares porous silicon with vertical holes. By controlling the heating temperature and time, nanoscale vertical-channeled porous silicon can be received. Our result indicated that the Bi clusters were formed first on the wafer surface. Then the ...