Guided three-dimensional catalyst folding during metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon

In recent years metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) of silicon, in which etching is confined to a small region surrounding metal catalyst templates, has emerged as a promising low cost alternative to commonly used three-dimensional (3D) fabrication techniques. We report a new methodology for controllable folding of 2D metal catalyst films into 3D structures using MaCE. This method takes advantage of selective patterning of the catalyst layer into regions with mismatched characteristic dimensions, resulting in uneven etching rates along the notched boundary lines that produce hinged 2D templates for 3D folding. We explore the dynamics of the folding process of the hinged templates, demonstrating that the folding action combines rotational and translational motion of the catalyst template, which yields topologically complex 3D nanostructures with intimately integrated metal and silicon features.