Self-organized pore formation and open-loop control in semiconductor etching

Electrochemical etching of semiconductors, apart from many technical applications, provides an interesting experimental setup for self-organized structure formation capable, e.g., of regular, diameter-modulated, and branching pores. The underlying dynamical processes governing current transfer and structure formation are described by the current burst model: all dissolution processes are assumed to occur inhomogeneously in time and space as a current burst (CB); the properties and interactions between CBs are described by a number of material- and chemistry-dependent ingredients, like passivation and aging of surfaces in different crystallographic orientations, giving a qualitative understanding of resulting pore morphologies. These morphologies cannot be influenced only by the current, by chemical, material and other etching conditions, but also by an open-loop control, triggering the time scale given by the oxide dissolution time. With this method, under conditions where only branching pores occur, the additional signal hinders side pore formation resulting in regular pores with modulated diameter.