Effect of metal particles on the rate of Si etching with N-fluoropyridinium salts

Abstract The effect of Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pd, Ag, Pt, or Au metal particles on the rate of Si etching using N -fluoropyridinium salts was examined. The average etching depth increased when N -fluoropyridinium salts were mixed with Cu particles. The activation energy determined from the temperature dependence of the average etching rate for the Cu particles is lower than that without a metal. The Cu particles greatly improve the etching of Si with the salts compared with the other metals. The magnitude of the effect of the Cu particles on the rate of Si etching with the salts is larger than that of the Mn, Fe, Ni, or Zn particles. This can be explained by the order of the relative stabilities of the complexes formed by bivalent ions of transition metals. The etching method involves the application of easy-to-handle salts containing Cu particles as etchants on the Si surface and has the potential to be a simple and less expensive form of Si etching.