Bubble Effects on Manufacturing of Silicon Nanowires by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching

Abstract

Micro/nano-textured Si wafers manufactured using metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) have been the focus of several studies, but the mechanism of bubble generation during the MACE process affecting textured surfaces has rarely been reported. This study investigated the bubble effect due to the different placement patterns of the Si wafer (face-up, stirred face-down, and face-down). The results indicated that the placement pattern of the Si wafer notably influences the uniformity of outward appearance. However, no significant differences were noted in the scanning electron microscopy images of Si nanowires (SiNWs) at 0.5 h of etching. At 2 h of etching, the outward appearance uniformity of face-up etching was more homogeneous than that of stirred face-down and face-down patterns, and the SiNWs processed through face-up etching were longer (41 μm) than those subjected to stirred face-down etching (36 μm) and face-down etching (32 μm). Therefore, the placement pattern of Si wafer can affect the uniformity and properties of SiNWs because of bubbles trapped inside cavities or between SiNWs.