Investigation of electrochemical etch differences in AlGaAs heterostructures using Cl{sub 2} ion beam assisted etching

A deeply etched, anisotropic 45° and 90° mirror technology is developed for Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}As heterostructures using a Cl{sub 2} ion beam assisted etching system. When etching vertically, using a conductive low-erosion Ni mask, electrochemical etch differences between layers with various Al mol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of vacuum science & technology. A, Vacuum, surfaces, and films Vacuum, surfaces, and films, 2015-03, Vol.33 (2)
Main Authors: Anglin, Kevin, Goodhue, William D., Swint, Reuel B., Porter, Jeanne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
ALLOYS
ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES
ARGON IONS
CHLORINE
DEPTH
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
EPITAXY
EROSION
ETCHING
FABRICATION
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
ION BEAMS
LAYERS
MATERIALS SCIENCE
OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES
SILICON NITRIDES
SUBSTRATES
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY
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Summary:A deeply etched, anisotropic 45° and 90° mirror technology is developed for Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}As heterostructures using a Cl{sub 2} ion beam assisted etching system. When etching vertically, using a conductive low-erosion Ni mask, electrochemical etch differences between layers with various Al mole fractions caused nonuniform sidewall profiles not seen in semi-insulating GaAs test samples. These variations, based on alloy composition, were found to be negligible when etching at a 45°. A Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-Ni etch mask is designed in order to electrically isolate charge buildup caused by the incoming Ar{sup +} ion beam to the Ni layer, preventing conduction to the underlying epitaxial layers. This modification produced smoothly etched facets, up to 8 μm in depth, enabling fabrication of substrate–surface-emitting slab-coupled optical waveguide lasers and other optoelectronic devices.
ISSN:0734-2101
1520-8559
DOI:10.1116/1.4904211