Fabrication of ultra-high aspect ratio (> 160: 1) silicon nanostructures by using Au metal assisted chemical etching

We present a facile and effective approach for fabricating high aspect ratio, dense and vertical silicon nanopillar arrays, using a combination of metal etching following electron-beam lithography and Au metal assisted chemical etching (MacEtch). Ti/Au nanostructures used as catalysts in MacEtch are formed by single layer resist-based electron-beam exposure followed by ion beam etching. The effects of MacEtch process parameters, including half period, etching time, the concentrations of H2O2 and HF, etching temperature and drying method are systematically investigated. Especially, we demonstrate an enhancement of etching quality by employing cold MacEtch process, and an enhancement in preventing the collapse of high aspect ratio nanostructures by employing low surface tension rinse liquid and natural evaporation in the drying stage. Using an optimized MacEtch process, vertical silicon nanopillar arrays with a period of 250 nm and aspect ratio up to 160: 1 are realized. Our results should be instructive for exploring the achievable aspect ratio limit in silicon nanostructures and may find potential applications in photovoltaic devices, thermoelectric devices and x-ray diffractive optics.