Control of Sidewall Angles Using UV LEDs during Wet Etching of GaAs

摘要

The ultraviolet (UV) light induced wet etching for micro-optical electromechanical systems applications produces a range of sidewall angles depending on the relative contributions of photo and chemical dissolution. The technique uses recently developed multi-element UV light emitting diodes (LEDs) that feature broad area coverage and relatively low cost compared with laser-based systems. The UV LED illumination creates sidewall profiles with angles ranging from 55 deg to 90 deg by changing the oxidizer content and the light intensity.