Title: Etching and smooth processing of GaAs surface based on the confined etchant layer technique

Authors: Yongzhi Cao; Shusen Guo; Yongda Yan; Zhenjiang Hu; Xuesen Zhao; Zengqiang Li

Addresses: Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China ' Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China ' Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China ' Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China ' Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China ' Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China

Abstract: Confined etchant layer technique (CELT) is an effective electrochemical etching method for micro-machining, which can be used to replicate complex three-dimensional microstructures and implement rough surface smooth processing. Through the coupling between electrochemically induced chemical etching processes and mechanical motion, a combination of high machining efficiency, low machining cost and good machining accuracy can be reached. In this paper, a CELT processing platform was established. By combining simulations with experiments, we studied the influence of the solution proportioning on the etching results of GaAs surface and verified the capacity of the CELT technique to achieve smooth processing. It is shown that by taking advantage of CELT, the surface roughness can reach nano-scale.

Keywords: confined etchant layer technique; CELT; mechanical motion; smooth processing; simulation; electrochemical etching; GaAs; gallium arsenide; micromachining; microstructure; surface roughness; surface quality; simulation; nanotechnology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2017.082412

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2017 Vol.13 No.1, pp.71 - 80

Received: 13 Aug 2015
Accepted: 04 Jan 2016
Published online: 23 Feb 2017 *

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