GaAs ( Gallium Arsenide) Etching
Samco’s GaAs etching technology provides precise, high-uniformity plasma dry etching essential for fabricating VCSELs, laser diodes, MicroLEDs, RF devices, and photonic structures. Our ICP-RIE systems enable excellent profile control, stable etch performance, and accurate endpoint detection across wafer sizes up to 6 inches.
With decades of experience in III-V etching, Samco supports both production environments and advanced research laboratories worldwide.
Why GaAs? Material Properties and Key Applications
Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a III-V semiconductor with:
- Band gap: 1.27 eV
- Electron mobility: 8,500 cm²/V·s (5.7x higher than Si)
These properties make GaAs ideal for:
- RF and MMIC devices (power amplifiers, oscillators, switches)
- Laser diodes (LDs) and VCSELs
- Infrared LEDs
- High-efficiency solar cells
- Photonic and quantum devices
GaAs Etching Benefits & Performance
High Uniformity Across 6-Inch Wafers
Our ICP-RIE systems maintain excellent uniformity for GaAs mesa and trench etching. Optional interferometry endpoint detection ensures high-accuracy etch stops even for multi-wafer processes.
Etch Profile Control, Selectivity, and Damage Reduction
Samco’s ICP-RIE systems are optimized for precise GaAs etch profiles, enabling:
- Steep, vertical sidewalls for VCSEL and FET structures
- High etch rates suitable for deep mesa and trench applications
- Low byproduct redeposition for smooth surfaces
- High selectivity between GaAs and mask materials (photoresist, SiO₂)
- Stable profile control across wafer sizes up to 6 inches
These capabilities support the performance demands of modern optoelectronic and RF devices.
GaAs Etching Process Data
By replacing the upper DBR of the active layer with a diffraction grating, it is possible to improve the performance of the VCSEL.
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Our process technology enables high-speed vertical machining up to and including ø6 inch wafers. This shows an example of a GaAs mesa etching process with an etching rate of about 2 μm/min.
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This shows an example of vertical mesa etching on a ø3 inch VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers) wafer.
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Achieved 3.8 μm deep GaAs etching with <±5% uniformity across ø6-inch wafers, ensuring precise and consistent results for MicroLED fabrication.
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The system of semiconductor quantum dots coupled with nano-resonators is expected to be applied to quantum photonics devices and quantum information devices.
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Fine anisotropic etching VCSEL (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) is a semiconductor laser whose resonance direction is perpendicular to the substrate surface.
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