First vacuum-gas-controlled metal assisted chemical etching at 8-inch wafer scale

Our microfabrication team at Paul Scherrer Institut (Villigen PSI, Switzerland) and the research institute Fraunhofer ENAS (Chemnitz, Germany) recently started a research cooperation in the field of gas-phase metal assisted chemical etching (MACE, MacEtch) technologies. This partnership aims to develop innovative solutions in micro- and nano manufacturing, and further explore the potential of these technologies in semiconductor applications. memsstar Ltd., a leading provider of etch and deposition equipment to researchers and manufacturers of semiconductors and microelectrical mechanical systems (MEMS), is supporting the research by further developing their Orbis tool platform specifically for the dedicated use of gas-phase MacEtch processes, opening new opportunities for these innovative technologies at industrial scale. Already in the early stages of the collaboration, the research team achieved very promising results with huge aspect ratio (at least 500:1) silicon nanowires, indicating an incredible development potential. 

Preliminary results show etched silicon grating for PSI X-ray optics and Si nanowires as small as 10 nm in section lying on the metal catalyst (see the figure below). The delighted crew in the clean room of Fraunhofer ENAS after the first successful experiment on March 05, 2025 and the ORBIS tool can be seen on the right side of the figure below. A dedicated scientific publication will be released soon.

(Left) Etched silicon grating for PSI X-ray optics (top left) and Si nanowires as small as 10 nm in section lying on a metal catalyst (bottom left). (Middle) the crew in the clean room of Fraunhofer ENAS after the first successful experiment (from bottom-left clockwise: Vahide Hosseini (Fraunhofer ENAS); Toni Sandbrink-Koblenz (memsstar Ltd.); Lucia Romano (ETHZ & PSI); Bryan Benz (Univ. Basel & PSI); David Anderson (memsstar Ltd.) and Christoph R. Meinecke (Fraunhofer ENAS & TU Chemnitz)). (Right) The ORBIS tool for gas-phase MacEtch processes.

Contacts

Lucia Romano
Paul Scherrer Institut

 

Christoph Robert Meinecke
Fraunhofer ENAS & TU Chemnitz