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Formation of Black Silicon in a Process of Plasma Etching with Passivation in a SF6/O2 Gas Mixture

Authors :
Andrey Miakonkikh
Vitaly Kuzmenko
Source :
Nanomaterials, Vol 14, Iss 11, p 945 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

This article discusses a method for forming black silicon using plasma etching at a sample temperature range from −20 °C to +20 °C in a mixture of oxygen and sulfur hexafluoride. The surface morphology of the resulting structures, the autocorrelation function of surface features, and reflectivity were studied depending on the process parameters—the composition of the plasma mixture, temperature and other discharge parameters (radical concentrations). The relationship between these parameters and the concentrations of oxygen and fluorine radicals in plasma is shown. A novel approach has been studied to reduce the reflectance using conformal bilayer dielectric coatings deposited by atomic layer deposition. The reflectivity of the resulting black silicon was studied in a wide spectral range from 400 to 900 nm. As a result of the research, technologies for creating black silicon on silicon wafers with a diameter of 200 mm have been proposed, and the structure formation process takes no more than 5 min. The resulting structures are an example of the self-formation of nanostructures due to anisotropic etching in a gas discharge plasma. This material has high mechanical, chemical and thermal stability and can be used as an antireflective coating, in structures requiring a developed surface—photovoltaics, supercapacitors, catalysts, and antibacterial surfaces.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20794991
Volume :
14
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Nanomaterials
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.54ff257383140a29f339bae5ff52891
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14110945