Fabrication of highly antireflective silicon surfaces with superhydrophobicity

Highly antireflective porous silicon surfaces with superhydrophobicity were obtained by means of chemical etching and fluoroalkylsilane self-assembly. The results show that wettability and reflectivity of these surfaces strongly depend on the etching method and the resultant surface morphology. All of the four resultant porous silicon surfaces by alkaline etching, acidic etching, thick Pt-assisted acidic etching, and thin Pt-assisted acidic etching can reduce reflectance, but the efficiency differs greatly. Except for the alkaline etching, the porous silicon surfaces produced by the other three etching methods can reach superhydrophobicity after fluoroalkylsilane modification. These differences are due to the different surface morphology and roughness. Moreover, the porous silicon surface produced by thin Pt-assisted acidic etching presents abundant holes and particles with diameters ranging from nanometers to submicrometers. This morphology enables the porous silicon surface to own a very low reflectance value that is averaged to be about 3% over the whole experimental photon wavelength spanning 300-800 nm.     

Mechanisms of particle removal from silicon wafer surface in wet chemical cleaning process

A quantitative mechanism of particle removal from silicon wafer surfaces by a wet chemical cleaning process is proposed. The particles are removed from the surface due to the combined effects of chemical etching and a net repulsive interaction between the particle and surface. The mechanism suggests that a critical etching depth, which has been determined theoretically, and an optimal etching rate, which can be determined from etching profile calculation, are required for particle removal. The study will help in the optimization of cleaning processes and formulation of superior cleaning solutions.     

One-step Fabrication of Nanoporous Black Silicon Surfaces for Solar Cells using Modified Etching Solution

Currently, a conventional two-step method has been used to generate black silicon (BS) surfaces on silicon substrates for solar cell manufacturing. However, the performances of the solar cell made with such surface generation method are poor, because of the high surface recombination caused by deep etching in the conventional surface generation method for BS. In this work, a modified wet chemical etching solution with additives was developed. A homogeneous BS layer with random porous structure was obtained from the modified solution in only one step at room temperature. The BS layer had low reflectivity and shallow etching depth. The additive in the etch solution performs the function of pH-modulation. After 16-min etching, the etching depth in the samples was approximately 200 nm, and the spectrum-weighted-reflectivity in the range from 300 nm to 1200 nm was below 5%. BS solar cells were fabricated in the production line. The decreased etching depth can improve the electrical performance of solar cells because of the decrease in surface recombination. An efficiency of 15.63% for the modified etching BS solar cells was achieved on a large area, p-type single crystalline silicon substrate with a 624.32-mV open circuit voltage and a 77.88% fill factor.     

优化金属辅助法腐蚀液组分制备多孔硅

金属辅助化学腐蚀法可以在无外加电路的条件下,在40%HF/30%H2O2/乙醇的混合溶液中完成多孔硅的制备,该方法简单快速。本文研究了金属辅助法腐蚀液体系各组分(HF、H2O2、乙醇)含量对多孔硅表面的SiHx成分和多孔层结构的影响,根据Si-H和Si-O的红外吸收峰强度的变化曲线优化了腐蚀液体系中各组分含量。在腐蚀液各组分体积比为V40%HF∶V30%H2O2∶V乙醇=2∶2∶1和腐蚀时间为4 min的条件下制备了形貌均匀、化学活性(SiHx成分)和多孔结构稳定性较好的多孔硅,并对金属辅助法与阳极蚀刻法制得的两种多孔硅进行比较,结果显示金属辅助法制备的多孔硅的化学活性和稳定性在后续的生物技术应用中具有明显的优越性。     

Formation of threadlike nanostructures of silicon and silicon carbide by chemical vapor deposition

Synthesis of threadlike nanostructures of silicon and silicon carbide by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using dichlorosilane pyrolysis in the presence of CCl4 and CF2Cl2 in nitrogen has been carried out. Nitrogen molecules react on active surface areas of the substrate originating during etching with a gaseous mixture of 7.5% SiH2Cl2–7.5% CCl4–85% N2.     

硅(100)晶面上硅和二氧化硅的横向与纵向腐蚀速率

The method established previously for studying the etching rates of micro-scale silicon and silica was used to study the etching process of silicon and silica on the Si（100）surface. Photolithography was used to pattern a positive photoresist mask to confine the etching area,and the atomic force microscopy was used to probe the etched surface. The lateral etching rate of silicon or silica on the silicon surface was defined,and the lateral and longitudinal etching rates of silicon and silica on the Si（100）surface in 40% ammonium fluoride aqueous solution were measured. The effect of the dissolved oxygen on the etching rates was studied by bubbling the solution with high purity nitrogen. The lateral and longitudinal etching rates of silicon and silica on the（100）surface increase with temperatures except for the lateral etching rate of silica in a N2 -bubbled solution which probably reaches the limit of diffusion controlled reaction. The etching rates of silicon and thermal silica on the Si（100）surface show remarkable difference with that on the Si（111）surface in both air-saturated and N2 -bubbled solutions. The apparent activation energies for the silicon and silica etching processing in ammonium fluoride solution were obtained from the etching rates at different temperatures in the range 20. 6-34. 1℃. The similarity of the apparent activation energies for the etching processing of silicon and silica on the（100）surface to that on the（111）surface probably suggests that the rate-determined-step is the same in both cases. A lot of gas bubbles are seen to aggregate on the surface in silicon dissolution process at 38. 2℃,and it is found that the gas bubbles have great influence on the silicon etching rate. The formation of bubbles accelerates the silicon dissolution at the beginning but blocks the etching as the bubbles gradually aggregate on the surface.     

A model of the mechanism of the chemical interaction of the etchant ion (HF<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Superscript>–</Superscript> with silicon during its electrochemical etching in hydrofluoric acid solutions

A model was proposed for the mechanism of the chemical interaction of the etchant ion (HF₂)^– with silicon during its electrochemical etching, which explains the possibility of porous silicon etching in the dark and the formation of hydride and hydroxyl groups on the silicon surface.     

Extremely superhydrophobic surfaces with micro- and nanostructures fabricated by copper catalytic etching

We demonstrate a simple method for the fabrication of rough silicon surfaces with micro- and nanostructures, which exhibited superhydrophobic behaviors. Hierarchically rough silicon surfaces were prepared by copper (Cu)-assisted chemical etching process where Cu nanoparticles having particle size of 10-30 nm were deposited on silicon surface, depending on the period of time of electroless Cu plating. Surface roughness was controlled by both the size of Cu nanoparticles and etching conditions. As-synthesized rough silicon surfaces showed water contact angles ranging from 93° to 149°. Moreover, the hierarchically rough silicon surfaces were chemically modified by spin-coating of a thin layer of Teflon precursor with low surface energy. And thus it exhibited nonsticky and enhanced hydrophobic properties with extremely high contact angle of nearly 180°.     

Chemically assisted ion beam etching of silicon and silicon dioxide using SF6

A chemical flux of sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) in conjunction with low-energy Ar-ion bombardment has been used for chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE) of silicon and silicon dioxide. The study has shown a large degree of independent control over the selectivity and anisotropy in dry etching. The total etch rate could be controlled by varying either the Ar-ion milling parameters or the chemical flux of SF₆. Etch rate enhancement of 7–8 for silicon and 3–4 for silicon dioxide have been obtained over pure physical etching.     

Bismuth spheres grown in self-nested cavities in a silicon wafer

We have developed a one-step, hydrofluoric acid-free hydrothermal etching method that not only produces bismuth nano/micrometer-sized spheres but also prepares porous silicon with vertical holes. By controlling the heating temperature and time, nanoscale vertical-channeled porous silicon can be received. Our result indicated that the Bi clusters were formed first on the wafer surface. Then the etching of the Bi to the wafer creates the holes. Later, the Bi spheres went into the holes and expedited the etching process. A formation mechanism and chemical process have been proposed on the basis of experimental data. This simple chemistry approach may be of great scientific and technological importance for preparing porous silicon wafer.     

Influence of laser microfabrication on silicon electrochemical behavior in HF solution

Influence of direct laser writing with femtosecond pulses on electrochemical etching of n-type low conductivity (>1,000 Ωcm) silicon is demonstrated. It has been shown that thermal 1-μm-thick SiO₂ layer on silicon surface can be used as a protective layer in the electrochemical etching process. It has been found that laser ablation changes not only the surface morphology and structure of silicon samples but also the character of their anodic etching in aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid. Formation of microvoids and caverns of irregular shape has been observed at the laser-ablated sites. It is proposed that the change of silicon conductivity from n- to p-type takes place at the laser fabricated regions. Processes of Si anodic oxidation and electrochemical etching are discussed.     

ATR-FTIR Investigation of Hydrogen-terminated Si(111) Surface in Various NH4F-Based Solutions

Wet chemical cleaning of silicon is a critical step in the semiconductor manufacturing. Particles, contaminants, metallic impurities, roughness and native oxide on silicon surface after wet chemical cleaning deteriorate the reliability of transistor performance in integrated circuits^[1]. Wet chemical etching of Si(111) and Si(100) in fluoride and alkaline solutions has been extensively studied in the past few years by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR)^[2-11]. In the present work, we extend our study to Si(111) surface after treating with NH₄F/HCl mixtures. STM, X-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS), and ATR-FTIR are used to determine surface roughness, contamination and bond information on Si(111) surface after wet chemical cleaning with various NH₄F/HCl mixtures. The results are discussed in details by comparison to those treated with RCA and HF solutions, indicating that ultra-clean and flat Si(111) surface is obtained by treatment with NH₄F/HCl mixture.     

Titrimetric determination of silicon dissolved in concentrated HF-HNO3-etching solutions

The wet chemical etching of silicon by concentrated HF-HNO₃ mixtures in solar and semiconductor wafer fabrication requires the strict control of the etching conditions. Surface morphology and etch rates are mainly affected by the amount of dissolved silicon, that is continuously enriched in the etching solution with each etching run. A fast and robust method for the titrimetric determination of the total dissolved silicon content out of the concentrated etching solution is presented. This method is based on the difference between the two equivalence points of the total amount of acid and the hydrolysis of the hexafluorosilicic anion. This approach allows a silicon determination directly from the etching process in spite of the presence of dissolved nitric oxides in the etching solution. The influences of different acid mixing ratios and of the etching solution density depending on the silicon content is considered and discussed in detail.     

碱性水溶液中甲醛在硅电极表面的电化学行为及其对硅化学刻蚀的影响

研究了KOH水溶液中氧化剂甲醛在p-Si和n-Si(100)单晶半导体电极表面的电化学行为及其对硅化学刻蚀表面形貌的影响．实验结果表明,甲醛不仅影响p-和n-型半导体电极在碱性溶液中的阳极氧化峰电流,而且在负电位区能在Si(100)电极上发生还原．在光照条件下,p-Si(100)电极上也观测到了HCHO的电化学还原及光电流倍增效应．甲醛在硅电极表面的电化学还原反应分两步进行,反应终产物为甲醇．此外,HCHO能有效抑制碱性溶液中Si表面“金字塔”型表面粗糙颗粒的形成。     

Determination of metallic impurities in a silicon wafer by local etching and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

An etching technique for the determination of the metallic impurities distribution in silicon wafers has been developed. An area of 10 mmphi and 10 microm depth was etched by 100 microL of an etching solution with a HF and HNO3 mixture. The acid matrix was evaporated on the wafer surface by IR lamp illumination and vacuum exhaust. Metallic impurities remaining on the wafer surface were redissolved into the collection solution, which was measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS). The recovery invested by local etching/ET-AAS was within 95 - 112% for Fe, Cu and Ni. The detection limit (3sigma) for Fe, Cu and Ni in silicon was 1 x 10(13) atoms/cm3. To confirm the applicability, local etching was applied to evaluate the effects of metallic impurities in a gettering study and the electronic properties of semiconductor devices. It was found that local etching is a useful sample preparation technique for the analysis of metallic impurities in a specific area on a silicon wafer.     

ATR-FTIR Study of Si(110) Surface Hydrogenated in NH4F-Based Mixtures

RCA (Radio Corporation of America) cleaning has been the important and critical step in semiconductor manufacturing for more than 30 years^[1]. As the electronics devices are shrinking and gate oxide is getting thinner, stringent requirements on metallic impurities,organic contamination and surface roughness on silicon wafer after wet chemical cleaning have attracted more attention in the mechanism of wet etching processes on Si(111) and Si(100) surfaces^[2=11]. In the past few years wet chemical and electrochemical etching of Si(110) in NH₄F solutions has been studied by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)^[12] and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR)^[13-14]. In the present work, we extend our study to Si(110) surface in NH₄F/HCl mixtures by using polarized attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR-FTIR). We have compared the ex-situ ATR-FTIR results on Si(110) in various NH₄F/HCl solutions using Ge prism. Effects of potential on hydrogen-terminated structures on Si(110) surfaces have been investigated by employing in-situ electrochemical ATR-FTIR with double side polished single crystal silicon as a prism. Our ATR-FTIR spectra are correlated with the results obtained with in-situ STM.     

Efficient surface grafting of luminescent silicon quantum dots by photoinitiated hydrosilylation

We suggest a method for efficient (high-coverage) grafting of organic molecules onto photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles. High coverage grafting was enabled by use of a modified etching process that produces a hydrogen-terminated surface on the nanoparticles with very little residual oxygen and by carefully excluding oxygen during the grafting process. It had not previously been possible to produce such a clean H-terminated surface on free silicon nanoparticles or, subsequently, to produce grafted particles without significant surface oxygen. This allowed us to (1) prepare air-stable green-emitting silicon nanoparticles, (2) prepare stable dispersions of grafted silicon nanoparticles in a variety of organic solvents from which particles can readily be precipitated by addition of nonsolvent, dried, and redispersed, (3) separate these nanoparticles by size (and therefore emission color) using conventional chromatographic methods, (4) protect the particles from chemical attack and photoluminescence quenching, and (5) provide functional groups on the particle surface for further derivatization. We also show, using 1H NMR, that the photoinitiated hydrosilylation reaction does not specifically graft the terminal carbon atom to the surface but that attachment at both the first and second atom occurs.     

Electrochemical texturing of Al-doped ZnO thin films for photovoltaic applications

The processes during chemical and electrochemical etching of Al-doped ZnO are investigated utilizing a scanning flow cell setup with online detection of dissolved Zn ions. The rate of chemical dissolution was found to be a linear function of buffer and proton concentration in near neutral pH solutions according to a transport limited reaction. In contrast, electrochemical etching is limited by the kinetics of the reaction and increases linearly with the imposed current density. Due to this fundamental difference, the dissolution of Zn can be either uniform over the whole surface or highly localized at active sites like grain boundaries. A combined approach of chemical etching and the well-controllable galvanostatic dissolution thus allows a fine adjustment of the ZnO:Al surface texture for applications in silicon thin film photovoltaic cells in order to improve their overall energy conversion efficiency.     

High hydrosilylation efficiency of porous silicon SiHx species produced by Pt-assisted chemical etching for biochip fabrication

Porous silicon (PSi) prepared from Pt metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) was demonstrated to possess higher hydrosilylation efficiency (～57%) than anodized PSi (～11%) by surface reaction with ω-undecenyl alcohol (UO).Deconvolution of the SiHx (x=1-3) stretching bands revealed the abundance of SiH 2 species on MaCE PSi was 53%,～10% higher than on anodized samples,while both of SiH 1 and SiH 3 were ～5% lower correspondently on MaCE PSi than on anodized samples.The surface SiHx abundances were suggested to account for the higher hydrosilylation efficiency on MaCE PSi.Optimization of Pt-assisted chemical etching parameters suggested a 7-15 nm thick Pt-coating and an etching time of 3-10 min for biochip applications.Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that an isotropic top meso-porous layer was beneficial for hydrosilylation and long-term durability under ambient conditions.To end,an example of histidine-tagged protein immobilization and microarray was illustrated.Combining the materials’ property,surface chemistry,and micro-fabrication technology together,we envision that silicon based biochip applications have a prosperous future.     

Synchrotron radiation-stimulated photochemical reaction and its application to semiconductor processes

Recent results are reviewed on synchrotron radiation (SR)-excited photochemical reaction studies aimed at applications to semiconductor processes. Valence or core electronic excitations induced by SR irradiation and ensuing chemical reactions are classified and characterized by rate equations. Unique material selectivity in etching has been found. SiO₂ has been found to evaporate by SR irradiation and this phenomenon can be applied to the low-temperature surface cleaning of silicon. In the epitaxial growth of Silicon by ultrahighvacuum chemical vapor deposition using Si₂H₆, SR irradiation significantly lowers growth temperature beyond the low-temperature limit of thermal reaction. Lowering of the operating temperature by SR irradiation is especially effective in applications to the atomic layer epitaxial growth of silicon. The layer-by-layer process has been successfully demonstrated, confirming self-limiting adsorption of SiH₂Cl₂ and ensuring surface reactivation by SR irradiation.