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Hybrid Anodic and Metal‐Assisted Chemical Etching Method Enabling Fabrication of Silicon Carbide Nanowires
Author(s) -
Chen Yun,
Zhang Cheng,
Li Liyi,
Zhou Shuang,
Chen Xin,
Gao Jian,
Zhao Ni,
Wong ChingPing
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201803898
Subject(s) - materials science , nanowire , isotropic etching , etching (microfabrication) , nanotechnology , silicon carbide , reactive ion etching , fabrication , dry etching , semiconductor , nanometre , silicon , optoelectronics , composite material , medicine , alternative medicine , layer (electronics) , pathology
Silicon carbide (SiC) is one of the most important third‐generation semiconductor materials. However, the chemical robustness of SiC makes it very difficult to process, and only very limited methods are available to fabricate nanostructures on SiC. In this work, a hybrid anodic and metal‐assisted chemical etching (MACE) method is proposed to fabricate SiC nanowires based on wet etching approaches at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure. Through investigations of the etching mechanism and optimal etching conditions, it is found that the metal component plays at least two key roles in the process, i.e., acting as a catalyst to produce hole carriers and introducing band bending in SiC to accumulate sufficient holes for etching. Through the combined anodic and MACE process the required electrical bias is greatly lowered (3.5 V for etching SiC and 7.5 V for creating SiC nanowires) while enhancing the etching efficiency. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that by tuning the etching electrical bias and time, various nanostructures can be obtained and the diameters of the obtained pores and nanowires can range from tens to hundreds of nanometers. This facile method may provide a feasible and economical way to fabricate SiC nanowires and nanostructures for broad applications.