Metal-assisted chemical etching is a plasma-free open-circuit anisotropic etching method that produces high aspect ratio structures in various semiconductors. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the formation of ordered micropillar arrays of homoepitaxial GaN, using photo-enhanced MacEtch with patterned platinum films as the catalyst. The GaN etching rate and morphology as a function of etching chemistry, growth method, and doping conditions are investigated, and the etch mechanism is analyzed. Etch rates and surface smoothness are found to increase with the Si-doping level in GaN, approaching those achieved by reactive ion etching and photoelectrochemical etching. Spatially resolved photoluminescence shows no degradation in near band edge emission and no newly generated defect peaks, as expected due to the high energy ion free nature. This approach can also potentially be applied to InGaN and AlGaN by tuning the etch chemistry and illumination wavelength, enabling a facile and scalable processing of 3D III-nitride based electronic and optoelectronic devices such as μLEDs and finFETs.
Skip Nav Destination
Homoepitaxial GaN micropillar array by plasma-free photo-enhanced metal-assisted chemical etching
CHORUS
Article navigation
September 2021
Research Article|
August 31 2021
Homoepitaxial GaN micropillar array by plasma-free photo-enhanced metal-assisted chemical etching
Clarence Y. Chan
;
Clarence Y. Chan
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Search for other works by this author on:
Shunya Namiki;
Shunya Namiki
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Search for other works by this author on:
Jennifer K. Hite
;
Jennifer K. Hite
2
High Power Electronics Branch, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
, Washington, DC 20375
Search for other works by this author on:
Michael A. Mastro
;
Michael A. Mastro
2
High Power Electronics Branch, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
, Washington, DC 20375
Search for other works by this author on:
Syed B. Qadri;
Syed B. Qadri
3
Multifunctional Materials Branch, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
, Washington, DC 20375
Search for other works by this author on:
Xiuling Li
Xiuling Li
a)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801a)Current address: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712; Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
a)Current address: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712; Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 39, 053212 (2021)
Article history
Received:
June 22 2021
Accepted:
August 10 2021
Citation
Clarence Y. Chan, Shunya Namiki, Jennifer K. Hite, Michael A. Mastro, Syed B. Qadri, Xiuling Li; Homoepitaxial GaN micropillar array by plasma-free photo-enhanced metal-assisted chemical etching. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 September 2021; 39 (5): 053212. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0001231
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Citing articles via
Surface passivation approaches for silicon, germanium, and III–V semiconductors
Roel J. Theeuwes, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels, et al.
Low-temperature etching of silicon oxide and silicon nitride with hydrogen fluoride
Thorsten Lill, Mingmei Wang, et al.
Atomic layer deposition of nanofilms on porous polymer substrates: Strategies for success
Brian C. Welch, Jeanne Casetta, et al.