Nano Express
Triangle pore arrays fabricated on Si (111) substrate by sphere lithography combined with metal-assisted chemical etching and anisotropic chemical etching
Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0015, Japan
Nanoscale Research Letters 2012, 7:406 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-7-406
Published: 19 July 2012Abstract
The morphological change of silicon macropore arrays formed by metal-assisted chemical etching using shape-controlled Au thin film arrays was investigated during anisotropic chemical etching in tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) aqueous solution. After the deposition of Au as the etching catalyst on (111) silicon through a honeycomb mask prepared by sphere lithography, the specimens were etched in a mixed solution of HF and H2O2 at room temperature, resulting in the formation of ordered macropores in silicon along the [111] direction, which is not achievable by conventional chemical etching without a catalyst. In the anisotropic etching in TMAH, the macropores changed from being circular to being hexagonal and finally to being triangular, owing to the difference in etching rate between the crystal planes.
