Porous silicon layers etched through openings in an inert masking layer have been employed to produce microstructures in silicon. In order to overcome the isotropic nature of the porous silicon formation process around the mask edges, optimized organic electrolytes for etching macropores on p-type silicon were employed. New kinds of pores (dubbed ªtrenchesº) were found, which are sensitive to mechanical stress and may prove useful for microstructuring silicon. Systematic experiments are presented which investigate the stability, the crystal orientation dependence, and limitations of trench formation. A possible mechanism for the trench formation is discussed in terms of the ªcurrent burstº model.
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