Nano- and microscratching as a potential method for texturing the Si surface

Abstract

The possibility of Si texturing through the use of nano- and microscratching with subsequent chemical etching has been investigated. The influence of the scratching speed, orientation of the indenter (face-on, edge-on) and normal load on the mechanism of deformation during scratching has been analyzed to reveal the favorable loading conditions to obtain plastic scratches. It has been found that the surface of scratches has a corrugated structure that was assumed to be the result of the stick-slip behavior during scratching. Different etching patterns displayed after chemical etching, such as inverse pyramids and a lamellar structure, have been attributed to the specific initial relief of the scratches and etching conditions.