Implementation of the inductively coupled plasma etching processes for forming gallium nitride nanorods used in ultraviolet light-emitting diode technology

This report presents the results of fabricating GaN nanorods by inductively coupled plasma etching using BCl 3/Cl 2 chemistry. Interestingly, the GaN nanorods are formed only in the area initially masked by the sacrificial metal mask. In addition to the metallic mask, a specific feature of this process is the application of an insulating ceramic carrier for the improvement of the process performance. The authors show that using the same etching parameters but with a conductive silicon carrier significantly reduces the efficiency of nanorod formation. Auger electron spectroscopy was applied to propose and confirm the mechanism of nanorod formation ceramic carrier and properly selected metallic masks. The usefulness of the developed method of nanorod production has been confirmed by its application in the fabrication and characterization of GaN-based UV light-emitting diodes.