Anisotropic Etching of Silicon in Aqueous TMAH/IPA Solutions

수용성 TMAH/IPA 용액의 실리콘 이방성 식각

Si anisotropic etching is a key technology for micromachining. The main advantages of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH)-based solution are their full compatibility with IC process. In this work the anisotropic etching of single crystal Si in a TMAH (($CH_3$)$_4$NOH) based solution was studied. The influence of the addition of IPA to TMAH solution on their etching characteristics was also presented. The crystal planes bounding the etch front and their etch rates were determined as a function of temperature, crystal orientation, and etchant concentration. The etch rates of (100) oriented Si crystal planes decreased linearly with increasing the IPA concentration, The etched (100) planes were covered by Pyramidal-shaped hillocks below 15 wt.%, but very smooth surfaces were obtained above 20 wt.%. The addition of IPA to TMAH solution leads to smoother surfaces of sidewalls etched planes.