Fabrication of novel microstructures based on orientation-dependent adsorption of surfactant molecules in a TMAH solution

Pal, Prem and Sato, K and Gosalvez, M A and Tang, B and Hida, H and Shikida, M (2011) Fabrication of novel microstructures based on orientation-dependent adsorption of surfactant molecules in a TMAH solution. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 21 (1). ISSN 0960-1317

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Abstract

In this work, the orientation-dependent adsorption of surfactant molecules on the silicon surface during etching in surfactant-added tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) is investigated. Triton X-100 (C14H 22O(C2H4O)n, n = 9-10) and 25 wt% TMAH are used as surfactant and main etchant, respectively. The crystallographic planes affected by the surfactant molecules are determined by analyzing the etching behavior of different mask patterns on Si{1 0 0} wafers and silicon hemispheres in pure and surfactant-added TMAH. Taken together, the shapes of the etched profiles and the analysis of the hemispherical etch rates confirm that thick and dense adsorbed surfactant layers are typically formed on both the exact and vicinal Si{1 1 0} surfaces. In addition, the results indicate that the adsorbed surfactant layer behaves as a permeable mask, partially slowing down the etch rate of the affected surface orientation/s and thus enforcing their appearance on the etching front. The peculiar etching properties of surfactant-added and surfactant-free TMAH are then utilized for the fabrication of advanced micromechanical structures with new shapes on Si{1 0 0} wafers and polydimethylsiloxane based on complex Si{1 0 0} molds.

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IITH Creators:
IITH CreatorsORCiD
Pal, PremUNSPECIFIED
Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Crystallographic plane; Etch rates; Etching behavior; Etching properties; Mask patterns; Micromechanical structures; Silicon surfaces; Surfactant layers; Surfactant molecules; Surfactant-free; Tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide; Triton X-100
Subjects: Physics
Divisions: Department of Physics
Depositing User: Team Library
Date Deposited: 07 Nov 2014 07:07
Last Modified: 10 Nov 2017 05:59
URI: http://raiithold.iith.ac.in/id/eprint/647
Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1088/0960-1317/21/1/015008
OA policy: http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0960-1317/
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