Carbon induced galvanic etching of silicon in aerated HF/H2O vapor

Abstract Metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon in HF aqueous solutions has aroused great interest due to its potential applications in photovoltaic, thermoelectric, sensors, and batteries. In this work, an alternative carbon induced galvanic etching of silicon in the aerated HF/H2O vapor was demonstrated. The potentials of carbon materials including graphite particles and carbon nanotubes to promote silicon etching in aerated HF/H2O vapor are demonstrated. By substituting noble metals with earth abundant carbon materials, the present method offers an alternative low cost route to fabricate silicon micro/nanostructures while provide new insight into galvanic etching of silicon in the presence of HF.