Oblique angled plasma etching for 3D silicon structures with wiggling geometries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Surface Science

Background:

• Three-dimensional (3D) silicon micro- and nanostructures are crucial for advanced photonic and electrochemical devices.
• Fabricating complex 3D silicon structures with arbitrary geometries at scale using standard techniques remains challenging due to their inherent directionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel and controllable method for fabricating 3D silicon micro- and nanostructures with wiggling geometries.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using oblique-angled plasma etching for versatile 3D silicon structure fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Utilized oblique-angled plasma etching from various angles.
• Employed a glass pad attached to the sample surface to induce topological modifications and surface charging.
• Directed ion fluxes to the substrate surface at off-normal angles.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated multilayered silicon structures with controllable wiggling geometries at both micro- and nanoscale.
• The proposed method allows for the creation of complex 3D silicon architectures.
• The technique is compatible with existing plasma etching systems without requiring modifications.

Conclusions:

• Oblique-angled plasma etching offers a unique and convenient approach for fabricating intricate 3D silicon structures.
• This method expands the toolkit for creating complex 3D silicon micro- and nanostructures using conventional fabrication technologies.
• The technique provides greater flexibility in manipulating device performance and properties through 3D geometry control.