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The effect of etching with glycerol, and the interferometric measurements on the interface roughness of porous silicon
Author(s) -
Kan P. Y. Y.,
Foss S. E.,
Finstad T. G.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.200461173
Subject(s) - electrolyte , porosity , etching (microfabrication) , porous silicon , materials science , surface finish , surface roughness , glycerol , analytical chemistry (journal) , electrochemistry , silicon , interferometry , chemical engineering , composite material , chemistry , chromatography , electrode , optics , metallurgy , layer (electronics) , organic chemistry , physics , engineering
We have carried out interferometric measurements of interface roughness in‐situ during electrochemical etching of p‐type porous silicon (PS) at room temperature. We found that at a certain porosity (∼70%) and with an electrolyte where a low fraction (10%) of the ethanol was replaced with glycerol, there was a significant decrease of the interface roughness. However, a higher content of glycerol (>10%) increased the surface roughness. We have varied the current density in the electrolytic cell and the HF concentration of the electrolyte. We also found that the porosity of the PS varied only slightly when glycerol at various concentrations was used. This investigation shows that an interferometric technique could be a useful tool for measuring the etch rate and the interface roughness of the PS. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)