场发射栅孔阵列的制备

采用硅的局部氧化技术以及湿法刻蚀技术,利用2.6 μm的光刻掩模板在n型硅片上形成了栅极孔径为1 μm的场发射阴极的栅极空腔阵列,实现了用大阵点尺寸的栅极掩模板制备较小尺寸栅孔阵列。硅的湿法刻蚀溶液采用各向同性的硝酸和氢氟酸混合溶液,刻蚀后空腔的深度和宽度均随刻蚀时间线性增加。同时,由于刻蚀溶液具有较高的Si/SiO2 刻蚀选择比,栅极孔径随刻蚀时间增大的速度远低于深度和宽度增大的速度,栅极孔径主要取决于掩模的尺寸和氧化层的厚度。通过选择掩模板的尺寸以及氧化层的厚度,采用局部氧化技术和湿法刻蚀技术能够制备出微米或亚微米的场发射阴极的栅极空腔阵列。     

单晶LaB6场发射阵列的电化学腐蚀工艺

 六硼化镧（LaB₆）场发射尖锥阵列的刻蚀工艺是制备LaB₆场发射阵列阴极的关键。在(111)面单晶LaB₆基片上,用等离子体增强化学气相沉积法制备氮化硅层做掩膜,光刻后采用电化学腐蚀方法对基片进行刻蚀,得到具有一定高度的LaB₆尖锥场发射阵列。讨论了单晶LaB₆的电化学腐蚀机理。改变各种电化学腐蚀参数,包括电解液成分、电解液浓度、阳极所加电压,用电子扫描显微镜观察样品形貌。结果发现H₃PO₄是刻蚀单晶LaB₆的理想电解液,它克服了过去电化学实验中经常遇到的尖锥各向异性问题。随着电解液浓度或阳极电压的增大,尖锥高度增加,但是基底表面变得更为粗糙。另一方面,阳极电压太小时,有横向刻蚀现象产生,不利于提高发射体的场增强因子。此外,在二极管结构中初步测试了LaB6尖锥场发射阵列的电流发射特性,在真空度2×10^-4 Pa、极间距离0.1 mm、阳极电压900 V下,发射电流达到13 mA。     

场发射栅孔阵列的制备

 采用硅的局部氧化技术以及湿法刻蚀技术,利用2.6 μm的光刻掩模板在n型硅片上形成了栅极孔径为1 μm的场发射阴极的栅极空腔阵列,实现了用大阵点尺寸的栅极掩模板制备较小尺寸栅孔阵列。硅的湿法刻蚀溶液采用各向同性的硝酸和氢氟酸混合溶液,刻蚀后空腔的深度和宽度均随刻蚀时间线性增加。同时,由于刻蚀溶液具有较高的Si/SiO₂ 刻蚀选择比,栅极孔径随刻蚀时间增大的速度远低于深度和宽度增大的速度,栅极孔径主要取决于掩模的尺寸和氧化层的厚度。通过选择掩模板的尺寸以及氧化层的厚度,采用局部氧化技术和湿法刻蚀技术能够制备出微米或亚微米的场发射阴极的栅极空腔阵列。     

同步辐射光激励的二氧化硅薄膜刻蚀研究

利用热氧化法在硅晶片上生长SiO₂薄膜，结合光刻和磁控溅射技术在SiO₂薄膜表面制备接触型钴掩模，通过掩模方法在硅表面开展了同步辐射光激励的表面刻蚀研究，在室温下制备了SiO₂薄膜的刻蚀图样.实验结果表明：在同步辐射光照射下，通入SF₆气体可以有效地对SiO₂薄膜进行各向异性刻蚀，并在一定的气压范围内，刻蚀率随SF₆气体浓度的增加而增加，随样品温度的下降而升高；如果在同步辐射光照射下，用SF₆和O₂的混合气体作为反应气体，刻蚀过程将停止在SiO₂/Si界面，即不对硅刻蚀，实现了同步辐射对硅和二氧化硅两种材料的选择性刻蚀；另外，钴表现出强的抗刻蚀能力，是一种理想的同步辐射光掩模材料. 关键词： 同步辐射刻蚀 接触型钴掩模 二氧化硅薄膜     

Selective formation of silicon nanowires on pre-patterned substrates

In this paper, the selective growth of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) was studied. With the aid of photolithography, the vertically aligned silicon nanowires were selectively formed on the patterned substrates via an electroless metal deposition (EMD) method under normal conditions (room temperature, 1 atm). Low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) silicon nitride was used as the masking layer for SiNWs preparation. The scanning electron microscope was used to examine the etching results. Both the patterned and the unpatterned silicon substrates were used for study. The results indicated that the growth rates of the SiNWs upon the patterned and the unpatterned substrates are different. For the patterned substrates, the growth rate of SiNWs is dependent upon the pattern shape. The influence of length-to-width ratio for the rectangular-shaped patterns was studied. It is concluded that by designing the proper length-to-width ratio, the nanowires with different lengths can be fabricated simultaneously on the same substrate.     

Effects of hydrogen etching process on the structural and optical properties of nano-crystalline diamond films

In this work, hydrogen etching method is applied to improve the quality of nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) films grown from hot-filament assisted chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) system. From the characteristics of the structure and optical property, the grain size and surface roughness decrease while the optical transmission increase obviously under certain deposition parameters (gas pressure and substrate temperature) and longer etching time. Soft X-ray transmission measurements by synchrotron radiation are also carried out on the NCD films. The result shows that the X-ray transmission has an obvious improvement when the NCD film is fabricated from the hydrogen etching method. And the transmittance reaches 53.3% at X-ray photon energy of 258 eV, which has met the requirement for X-ray mask materials.     

Atomic force microscopy investigation of surface roughness generated between SiO2 micro-pits in CHF3/Ar plasma

The present paper investigates the surface roughness generated by reactive ion etching (RIE) on the location between silicon dioxide (SiO₂) micro-pits structures. The micro-pit pattern on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) mask was created by an electron beam lithography tool. By using PMMA as a polymer resist mask layer for pattern transfer in RIE process, the carbon (C) content in etching process is increased, which leads to decrease of F/C ratio and causes domination of polymerization reactions. This leads to high surface roughness via self-organized nanostructure features generated on SiO₂ surface which was analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The etching chemistry of CHF₃ plasma on PMMA masking layer and SiO₂ is analyzed to explain the polymerization. The surface root-mean-square (RMS) roughness below 1 nm was achieved by decreasing the RF power to 150 W and process pressure lower than 10 mTorr.     

A method to pattern Pd over-layers on GdMg films and its application to increase the transmittance of metal hydride optical switches

A process to pattern Pd over-layers on reactive metal films was developed using ion milling through a tungsten trioxide mask patterned by photolithography and wet etching. The WO₃ mask exhibited a low Ar⁺ sputter yield and, unlike conventional mask materials (SiO₂, Si₃N₄), was easily etched in a mild alkaline solution. This procedure was applied to convert a 20-nm Pd cap over a 160-nm GdMg film to a Pd grid with ≈9-μm-diameter openings covering ≈40% of the surface. The Pd grid proved sufficient to catalyze the (de)hydriding reactions required to reversibly switch the GdMg film from reflecting to transparent. The maximum transmittance of the patterned Pd/GdMg hydride bi-layer was twice that of an otherwise identical sample with a continuous Pd cap, with similar hydriding kinetics. Received: 2 May 2000 / Accepted: 9 May 2000 / Published online: 13 September 2000     

New method to measure whole-wavelength transmittance of TCO substrates for thin-film silicon solar cells

High transmittance of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) substrates is one of the most important factors for achieving high efficiency in thin-film silicon solar cells. Immersion (IM) method with CH₂I₂ liquid is widely used for the evaluation of optical properties (transmittance, reflectance and absorption) for TCO substrates with textured surface in order to reduce the scattering at the TCO surface. However, in order to measure transmittance accurately, three problems have been found. (1) CH₂I₂ liquid itself absorbs the light in short wavelength region. (2) The transmittance around the absorption edge of CH₂I₂ liquids is very sensitive to its amount. (3) Scattering cannot be suppressed when the scattering surfaces are more than 2 surfaces (for example, TCO on reactive ion etching (RIE) processed glass). To overcome these problems, we proposed a new setup to measure optical properties of TCO substrates by holding the samples inside the integral sphere. As the results, we have confirmed that their absorption in all wavelength could be measured accurately and the transmittance measured by the new method was well consistent with the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the fabricated cell while the transmittance measured with conventional IM method showed differently. Therefore, this new method could be a useful tool to evaluate TCO substrates for thin-film silicon solar cells.     

Low cost fabrication of SiO2 optical waveguides by laser direct writing on Ti-doped Sol-Gel films

A commercial direct laser writing (DLW) system operating at 1070 nm was used to fabricate SiO₂ optical waveguides on silicon wafers. A Ti-doped SiO₂ Sol-Gel film was deposited on the SiO₂/Si substrate by the dip-coating technique, based on which SiO₂ optical waveguides were patterned by DLW using a Ytterbium fiber laser and followed by chemical etching. The effects of laser parameters and the preheated temperature of Sol-Gel films on the dimensions of optical waveguides were studied systematically. The differences of etching rate between laser irradiated and non-irradiated areas in Sol-Gel films preheated at various temperatures are characterized by measuring the thickness of the films. Results demonstrate that the available laser power density range for laser densification and the width of the patterned optical waveguides are influenced strongly by the preheated temperature of the Sol-Gel films. The width of the optimized optical waveguide in this work is 25 μm. The minimum propagation loss of the fabricated optical waveguides is 1.7 dB cm⁻¹ at the wavelength of 1550 nm.     

Patterning of thin tin oxide film with nano-size particle for two-dimensional micro-gas sensor array

Thin tin oxide film with nano-size particle was prepared on silicon substrate by hydrothermal synthetic method and successive sol–gel spin coating method. The fabrication method of tin oxide film with ultrafine nano-size crystalline structure was tried to be applied to fabrication of micro-gas sensor array on silicon substrate. The tin oxide film on silicon substrate was well patterned by chemical etching upto 5 μm width and showed very uniform flatness. The tin oxide film preparation method and patterning method were successfully applied to newly proposed two-dimensional micro-sensor fabrication.     

Etching nano-holes in silicon carbide using catalytic platinum nano-particles

The catalytic reaction of platinum during a hydrogen etching process has been used to perform controlled vertical nanopatterning of silicon carbide substrates. A first set of experiments was performed with platinum powder randomly distributed on the SiC surface. Subsequent hydrogen etching in a hot wall reactor caused local atomic hydrogen production at the catalyst resulting in local SiC etching and hole formation. Secondly, a highly regular and monosized distribution of Pt was obtained by sputter deposition of Pt through an Au membrane serving as a contact mask. After the lift-off of the mask, the hydrogen etching revealed the onset of well-controlled vertical patterned holes on the SiC surface. PACS 61.46.+w; 68.37.-d; 81.65.Cf     

Wafer-level fabrication and optical characterization of nanoscale patterned sapphire substrates

The wafer-level aperiodic nanostructures were fabricated atop the sapphire substrates in order to increase the transmittance over broadband spectra. The fabrication was presented along with characterization of their optical properties. The nanostructures were patterned using natural lithography with nickel silicide as a hard mask, and the subsequent etching was performed using inductively coupled plasma dry-etching method. The sapphire substrates with nanostructures compared to conventional sapphire substrates, which exhibit antireflective characteristics over broadband spectra at a wide range of incident angles. The nanostructures reduce the reflection down to 5% in the visible spectrum for normal incidence. The transmittance of visible to near-IR spectra was found to be 94% at normal incidence and over 90% at an incident angle of 45°. In the mid-IR spectrum, the transmittance exceeds 88% until the reflection is no longer suppressed by nanostructures. The polarization properties have also been investigated. The nanostructures can enhance the reflectivity ratio 90% for wavelengths shorter than 400 nm. As the amplitude ratio, enhanced from 50% to 80% over the whole visible spectrum.     

Reactive ion etching of FePt using inductively coupled plasma

We propose a reactive ion etching (RIE) process of an L1₀-FePt film which is expected as one of the promising materials for the perpendicular magnetic recording media. The etching was carried out using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) RIE system and an etching gas combination of CH₄/O₂/NH₃ was employed. The L1₀-FePt films were deposited on (1 0 0)-oriented MgO substrates using a magnetron sputtering system. The etching masks of Ti were patterned on the FePt films lithographically. The etch rates of ∼16 and ∼0 nm/min were obtained for the FePt film and the Ti mask, respectively. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses provided the average roughness (R_a) value of 0.95 nm for the etched FePt surface, that is, a very flat etched surface was obtained. Those results show that the highly selective RIE process of L1₀-FePt was successfully realized in the present study.     

Fabrication of seeded substrates for layer transferrable silicon films

The layer transfer process is one of the most promising methods for low-cost and highly-efficient solar cells, in which transferrable mono-crystalline silicon thin wafers or films can be produced directly from gaseous feed-stocks. In this work,we show an approach to preparing seeded substrates for layer-transferrable silicon films. The commercial silicon wafers are used as mother substrates, on which periodically patterned silicon rod arrays are fabricated, and all of the surfaces of the wafers and rods are sheathed by thermal silicon oxide. Thermal evaporated aluminum film is used to fill the gaps between the rods and as the stiff mask, while polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) and photoresist are used as the soft mask to seal the gap between the filled aluminum and the rods. Under the joint resist of the stiff and soft masks, the oxide on the rod head is selectively removed by wet etching and the seed site is formed on the rod head. The seeded substrate is obtained after the removal of the masks. This joint mask technique will promote the endeavor of the exploration of mechanically stable,unlimitedly reusable substrates for the kerfless technology.     

Fabrication of self-ordered nanohole arrays on Si by localized anodization and subsequent chemical etching

Nanohole arrays with a 60 nm hole periodicity were fabricated on a Si substrate by the anodization of an aluminum film sputtered on a Si substrate in sulfuric acid and subsequent chemical etching. The transfer of the nanoporous pattern of anodic alumina into the Si substrate was achieved by the selective removal of silicon oxide, which was produced by the anodic oxidation of the underlying Si substrate through the anodic porous alumina used as a mask.     

Mid-infrared wire-grid polarizer with silicides

An infrared (IR) polarizer with tungsten silicide (WSi) wire grid was fabricated by two-beam interference exposure and reactive ion etching. To enhance TM transmittance, silicon monoxide was deposited between the WSi wire grid (400 nm period) and a Si substrate. The transmittance was over 80% in the 4-5 microm wavelength range. The ratio of TM and TE transmittances was over 100 (20 dB) in the 2.5-6 microm wavelength range. The fabricated polarizer has higher durability and better compatibility with microfabrication processes compared with conventional IR polarizers.     

Ge1-xCx double-layer antireflection and protection coatings

The antireflection Germanium carbide (Ge_1-xC_x) coating, deposited using RF reactive sputtering, on both sides of ZnS substrate wafer has been developed. The infrared (IR) transmittance spectra show that the IR transmittance in the wavelength region between 8 and 12 μm for the designed system Ge_1-xC_x/ZnS/Ge_1-xC_x is greatly enhanced compared to that for ZnS substrate. In addition, the double-layer coated ZnS substrate is approximately four times as hard as uncoated ZnS substrate. This investigation indicates that a double-layer Ge_1-xC_x coating can be used as an effective antireflection and protection coating on ZnS infrared window.     

一种简单高效的制备硅纳米孔阵结构的方法

本文介绍了一种简单高效的制备硅纳米孔阵结构的方法. 利用激光干涉光刻技术, 结合干法和湿法刻蚀工艺, 直接将光刻胶点阵刻蚀为硅纳米孔阵结构, 省去了图形反转工艺中的金属蒸镀和光刻胶剥离等必要步骤, 在2英寸的硅 (001) 衬底上制备了高度有序的二维纳米孔阵结构. 利用干法刻蚀产生的氟碳有机聚合物作为湿法刻蚀的掩膜, 以及在干法刻蚀时对样品进行轻微的过刻蚀, 使SiO₂点阵图形下形成一层很薄的硅台面, 是本方法的两个关键工艺步骤. 扫描电子显微镜图片结果表明制备的孔阵图形大小均匀, 尺寸可控, 孔阵周期为450 nm, 方孔大小为200–280 nm. 关键词： 激光干涉光刻 纳米阵列 刻蚀 氟碳有机聚合物     

Au-assisted electroless etching of silicon in aqueous HF/H2O2 solution

The Au-assisted electroless etching of p-type silicon substrate in HF/H₂O₂ solution at 50 °C was investigated. The dependence of the crystallographic orientation, the concentration of etching solution and the silicon resistivity on morphology of etched layer was studied. The layers formed on silicon were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was demonstrated that although the deposited Au on silicon is a continuous film, it can produce a layer of silicon nanowires or macropores depending on the used solution concentration.