In this paper, we investigate the formation kinetics of Si nanowires [SiNWs] on lithographically defined areas using a single-step metal-assisted chemical etching process in an aqueous HF/AgNO3 solution. We show that the etch rate of Si, and consequently, the SiNW length, is much higher on the lithographically defined areas compared with that on the non-patterned areas. A comparative study of the etch rate in the two cases under the same experimental conditions showed that this effect is much more pronounced at the beginning of the etching process. Moreover, it was found that in both cases, the nanowire formation rate is linear with temperature in the range from 20°C to 50°C, with almost the same activation energy, as obtained from an Arrhenius plot (0.37 eV in the case of non-patterned areas, while 0.38 eV in the case of lithographically patterned areas). The higher etch rate on lithographically defined areas is mainly attributed to Si surface modification during the photolithographic process.PACS: 68; 68.65-k.

A combined process of electrochemical formation of self-assembled porous anodic alumina thin films on a Si substrate and Si etching through the pores was used to fabricate ideally ordered nanostructures on the silicon surface with a long-range, two-dimensional arrangement in a hexagonal close-packed lattice. Pore arrangement in the alumina film was achieved without any pre-patterning of the film surface before anodization. Perfect pattern transfer was achieved by an initial dry etching step, followed by wet or electrochemical etching of Si at the pore bottoms. Anisotropic wet etching using tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution resulted in pits in the form of inverted pyramids, while electrochemical etching using a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution resulted in concave nanopits in the form of semi-spheres. Nanopatterns with lateral size in the range 12-200 nm, depth in the range 50-300 nm and periodicity in the range 30-200 nm were achieved either on large Si areas or on pre-selected confined areas on the Si substrate. The pore size and periodicity were tuned by changing the electrolyte for porous anodic alumina formation and the alumina pore widening time. This parallel large-area nanopatterning technique shows significant potential for use in Si technology and devices.

Anodically etched two‐dimensional (2‐D) arrays of highly ordered sub‐200 nm in diameter vertical cylindrical pores were fabricated on p‐type Si wafers, with a resistivity of 6–8 Ω cm, by non‐lithographic pre‐patterning of the silicon substrate through a self‐assembled porous anodic alumina (PAA) thin film, directly grown on the Si wafer. The PAA film was grown by electrochemical oxidation of a thin Al film in an oxalic acid aqueous solution electrolyte. Through the PAA pores, concave etch pits were formed on Si by chemical etching, that were then used as pore initiation sites for electrochemical macroporous silicon formation. The so formed vertical cylindrical pore arrays showed perfect hexagonal arrangement on the Si surface. A pore diameter down to 180 nm and a pore height up to ∼1 μm were achieved for the first time on p‐type Si. The developed technology is particularly interesting for photonic crystals and sensors applications. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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We report on Si nanopatterning through an on-chip self-assembled porous anodic alumina (PAA) masking layer using reactive ion etching based on fluorine chemistry. Three different gases/gas mixtures were investigated: pure SF6, SF6/O2, and SF6/CHF3. For the first time, a systematic investigation of the etch rate and process anisotropy was performed. It was found that in all cases, the etch rate through the PAA mask was 2 to 3 times lower than that on non-masked areas. With SF6, the etching process is, as expected, isotropic. By the addition of O2, the etch rate does not significantly change, while anisotropy is slightly improved. The lowest etch rate and the best anisotropy were obtained with the SF6/CHF3 gas mixture. The pattern of the hexagonally arranged pores of the alumina film is, in this case, perfectly transferred to the Si surface. This is possible both on large areas and on restricted pre-defined areas on the Si wafer.PACS78.67.Rb, 81.07.-b, 61.46.-w