General corrosion during metal-assisted etching of <i>n</i>-type silicon using different metal catalysts of silver, gold, and platinum
Ayumu Matsumoto, Hikoyoshi Son, Makiho Eguchi, Keishi Iwamoto, Yuki Shimada, Kyohei Furukawa, Shinji Yae
Abstract
-type Si (100) in a hydrofluoric acid solution containing hydrogen peroxide in the dark using silver, gold, and platinum particles electrolessly deposited at a constant coverage, and demonstrated the difference in the porous structures obtained for the different kind of metal catalysts. By comparing the mass loss of substrates with the depth of pores formed under the metal particles, we found that general corrosion occurred on the top-surface of the Si substrate around the metal particles even under the dark condition. The general corrosion depended on the metal species and it was explained by the formation and dissolution of a mesoporous layer. The kind of metal catalysts influences the dissolution of the Si surface not only under the metal catalysts but also between them.