Self-organization in porous 6H–SiC

Pores in porous 6H–SiC were found to propagate first nearly parallel with the basal plane and gradually change direction and align with the c axis. As a consequence, well-defined columnar pores were formed. It was shown that the rate of change of propagation directions was influenced by the etching parameters, such as hydrofluoric acid concentration and current density. Larger currents resulted in formation of larger pores. Pore sizes were found to increase with depth due to a decrease of the acid concentration. In addition, due to chemical etching effects, larger pore sizes were obtained close to the sample surface.