Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Carrier-lifetime-controlled selective etching process for semiconductors using photochemical etching

Patent ·
OSTI ID:868181
 [1];  [2]
  1. Edgewood, NM
  2. Albuquerque, NM
+ Show Author Affiliations

The minority carrier lifetime is significantly much shorter in semiconductor materials with very high impurity concentrations than it is in semiconductor materials with lower impurity concentration levels. This phenomenon of reduced minority carrier lifetime in semiconductor materials having high impurity concentration is utilized to advantage for permitting highly selective semiconductor material etching to be achieved using a carrier-driven photochemical etching reaction. Various means may be employed for increasing the local impurity concentration level in specific near-surface regions of a semiconductor prior to subjecting the semiconductor material to a carrier-driven photochemical etching reaction. The regions having the localized increased impurity concentration form a self-aligned mask inhibiting photochemical etching at such localized regions while the adjacent regions not having increased impurity concentrations are selectively photochemically etched. Liquid- or gas-phase etching may be performed.

Research Organization:
AT & T CORP
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
Assignee:
United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
Patent Number(s):
US 5092957
OSTI ID:
868181
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (2)

Composition‐selective photochemical etching of compound semiconductors journal July 1985
Photochemical dry etching of GaAs journal October 1984

Similar Records

Carrier-lifetime-controlled selective etching process for semiconductors using photochemical etching
Patent · Mon Mar 02 23:00:00 EST 1992 · OSTI ID:5315420
Selective Suppression of Carrier-Driven Photochemical Etching: Raman Spectroscopy as a Diagnostic Tool
Conference · Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Materials Research Society Symposia Proceedings · OSTI ID:6260579
Electronic-carrier-controlled photochemical etching process in semiconductor device fabrication
Patent · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1988 · OSTI ID:867171

Related Subjects

/438/
achieved
adjacent
advantage
carrier
carrier lifetime
carrier-driven
carrier-lifetime-controlled
chemical etching
chemically etched
concentration
concentration level
concentration levels
concentrations
employed
etched
etching
etching process
form
gas-phase
highly
highly selective
impurity
impurity concentration
increased
increasing
inhibiting
level
levels
lifetime
liquid-
local
localized
localized region
mask
material
materials
means
minority
minority carrier
near-surface
near-surface region
near-surface regions
performed
permitting
phenomenon
photochemical
photochemical etching
photochemically
prior
process
reaction
reduced
regions
selective
selective etch
selective etching
selectively
selectively photochemically
self-aligned
semiconductor
semiconductor material
semiconductor materials
semiconductors
shorter
significantly
specific
subjecting
surface region
surface regions
utilized
various
various means