Express Technology of Electrochemical Etching of Gallium Arsenide for the Formation of Massive Island Pores

This study presents an express technology for the electrochemical etching of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) to form massive island pores. The n-type GaAs (Ill) single crystal plates are processed with a short pulse of strong current followed by a lower current density stage. The method forms a porous layer with almost wholly removing the GaAs surface single-crystal layer in just 3.5 minutes. The success of the technology relies on the application of a two-stage electrochemical treatment process, which in turn can find practical use in the formation of textured semiconductor layers on an industrial scale for photovoltaic applications. The article presents the EDX results and observations on pore-shape formations.