Influence of the electrolyte composition and pH on the anodic dissolution of p-type Si in aqueous HF solutions

The influence of the electrolyte composition and pH on the anodic currents obtained during electrochemical etching of p-type silicon in aqueous HF solutions has been investigated. Original and accurate pH measurements were performed to characterize the exact composition of the HF + H₂O electrolytes commonly used. It is shown that for these very acid solutions (pH < 2) almost all fluoride is in the form of the non-dissociated HF species which appears to play a preponderant role in the silicon dissolution reaction kinetics. The effect of pH can be restricted to its influence on the modification of the different concentrations by shifting the equilibria.