Metal-assisted chemical etching of III-V semiconductors for advanced optoelectronic device fabrication

The development of high-performance electronics in the past few decades has necessitated the scaling and precise fabrication of device elements and features down to the nanometer level. Top-down fabrication modules in semiconductor processing including etching have been extensively explored and implemented for a wide variety of device structures. One of the most novel techniques for etching semiconductors is metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch), a plasma-free wet etching method that utilizes a metal catalyst in order to enhance directional etching of a semiconductor. MacEtch has found its place in etching a wide variety of semiconductor materials, which expands its application beyond Si including direct band gap materials for optoelectronics and photonics. However, MacEtch of InGaAsP, an important quaternary semiconductor for long wavelength communications, is yet to be reported. This thesis demonstrates the fabrication of InGaAsP gratings for distributed feedback (DFB) lasers by MacEtch as well as antireflection textured GaAs photodiodes incorporating graphene quantum dots (GQDs). MacEtch behavior of InGaAsP in H2SO4 and H2O2 is dependent on the crystal orientation and material of the metal catalyst, as well as the stoichiometric composition of InGaAsP. The textured GaAs photodiodes, with GQDs self‐embedded in the monolithically integrated transparent graphene electrode, demonstrate a photocurrent enhancement of 22 times and a photoresponsivity of 25 times compared with the planar counterpart.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2021

Author dc:creator

• Namiki, Shunya

Contributors dc:contributor

• Li, Xiuling

• Semiconductor
• nanofabrication
• metal-assisted chemical etching
• etching
• InGaAsP
• GaAs
• graphene

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2021 Shunya Namiki

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110850

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110850