Preparation of Shaped Indium Phosphide Surfaces for Edge-Emitting Devices

Abstract

We have studied the interaction of etchants and etchant mixtures with {100} planes of InP substrates. The results demonstrate that mesa stripes and grooves faceted by a combination of planes differing in polarity—{111}A, {111}B, {110}, {112}A, or {221}A—can be obtained by properly selecting the etchant and the orientation of the mask coating. The mesa stripes have been shown to be faceted by the most close-packed planes and, in the case of polar properties, they are faceted by planes with a low dissolution rate ({111}A for the sphalerite lattice). The most close-packed planes {111}A and {111}B differ in their orientation relative to the (110) and (\(\bar {1}\)10) basal planes.