Material-selective etching of InP and an InGaAsP alloy

Wet chemical etchants are inexpensive and can be employed easily in device fabrication. Material-selective etchants extend the design flexibility for devices with heterostructures. Several etchants on (100) InP and LPE-grown (100) InGaAsP are studied with emphasis on smooth crystal surfaces and well-defined mesa-structures by use of photoresist. The best results are obtained with the system glycerine: HCl ∶ HClO4 for preferential attack of InP and with the system H2O ∶ H2SO4 ∶ H2O2 for preferential etching of InGaAsP. Detailed information is given on the etching solutions investigated, on the etching conditions and the etching rates of the most useful etchants.

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