The roughness of Si (100) surfaces etched in aqueous KOH, especially the roughness of the surface with low or no micropyramid formations, was studied using fractal analysis. The etched surfaces exhibited the fractal characteristics, and their fractal dimensions and their root-mean square roughness were found to be dependent on the etching time and the temperature. The simulation of the surface growth using noise reduced Eden model proved that the selective dissolution of Si atoms by random attacks of H{sub}2O and OH{sup}- on the Si-Si bond caused the roughening phenomenon that was observed experimentally.
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