Evidence for faster etching at the mask-substrate interface: atomistic simulation of complex cavities at the micron-/submicron-scale by the continuous cellular automaton

We combine experiments and simulations to study the acceleration of anisotropic etching of crystalline silicon at the mask-substrate interface, as a function of the coordination number of the substrate atoms located at the junction between obtuse-angled {1 1 1} facets and the mask layer. Atomistic simulations based on the use of the continuous cellular automaton (CCA) conclude that the interface atoms react faster with the etchant, thus initiating a step flow process that results in increased etch rates for the obtuse facets. By generating a wide range of complex cavities on high-index silicon wafers with a single-side, single-step etching, the comparison of the experimental and simulated results strongly indicates that the CCA method is suitable for accurately describing not only the development of micron-scaled structures but also, for the first time, the formation of submicron shapes. The study also describes the acceleration of obtuse facets formed through double-side etching, obtaining results in good agreement with previous experiments.