Combining Methods of Scanning Probe Nanolithography and Plasma Chemical Etching for the Formation of Vertical Optoelectronic Structures

This article discusses the joint application of scanning probe microscopy and plasma chemical etching methods for profiling the surface of nanostructures that can be used to create nanotechnology and optoelectronics devices. As a result of the research, AFM images of structures, their profile, as well as a graph of the dependence of the height of the etched structure on the duration of the surface treatment process in plasma were obtained. The etching rate of gallium arsenide was 1.6 nm/s, the etching rate of photoresist FP-383 was 0.26 nm/s. The dependence of the etched structure height on the time of the plasma chemical etching process was linear. In addition, the manufacturability of the method of profiling structures by scanning probe microscopy and plasma chemical etching was evaluated.