IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-63252-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Anomalous photoelectrochemical etching of undoped semiconductor surfaces

Author

Listed:
  • Pan Peng

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology
    Research Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology Shenzhen
    Optics Valley Laboratory)

  • Xinqin Liu

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology
    Research Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology Shenzhen
    Optics Valley Laboratory)

  • Shuming Yang

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University, State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering)

  • Renjie Zhou

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Biomedical Engineering)

  • Hui Deng

    (Southern University of Science and Technology, Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering)

  • Liang Gao

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology)

  • Nicholas X. Fang

    (University of Hong Kong, Department of Mechanical Engineering)

  • Shiyuan Liu

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology
    Optics Valley Laboratory)

  • Jinlong Zhu

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology
    Research Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology Shenzhen
    Optics Valley Laboratory)

Abstract

For more than 60 years, it has been widely accepted that the irradiance of the incoming light plays the most critical role in the etching effect of the photoelectrochemical etching process, which is built upon the underlying physics that photo-generated charge carriers catalyze the dissolution of n-type semiconductors. However, in this paper, we report an anomalous physical phenomenon, i.e., the spatially distributed photons with a lateral gradient could drive the lateral distribution of carriers on the surface of semiconductors, which leads to the anomalous etching phenomenon on the surface of undoped semiconductor materials during the PEC etching process. Research shows that parameters such as light intensity, light intensity gradient, and carrier diffusion length are significantly correlated with this process. This discovery provides a potential method of rapid and large-scale 3D nanomanufacturing on semiconductor materials, which holds promise for significant applications in diverse fields such as microelectronics, nanophotonics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and biomedicine.

Suggested Citation

  • Pan Peng & Xinqin Liu & Shuming Yang & Renjie Zhou & Hui Deng & Liang Gao & Nicholas X. Fang & Shiyuan Liu & Jinlong Zhu, 2025. "Anomalous photoelectrochemical etching of undoped semiconductor surfaces," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63252-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63252-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63252-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-63252-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Junyong Park & Shuodao Wang & Ming Li & Changui Ahn & Jerome K. Hyun & Dong Seok Kim & Do Kyung Kim & John A. Rogers & Yonggang Huang & Seokwoo Jeon, 2012. "Three-dimensional nanonetworks for giant stretchability in dielectrics and conductors," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 1-8, January.
    2. Eduardo Gil-Santos & Christopher Baker & Aristide Lemaître & Sara Ducci & Carmen Gomez & Giuseppe Leo & Ivan Favero, 2017. "Scalable high-precision tuning of photonic resonators by resonant cavity-enhanced photoelectrochemical etching," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, April.
    3. M. Campbell & D. N. Sharp & M. T. Harrison & R. G. Denning & A. J. Turberfield, 2000. "Fabrication of photonic crystals for the visible spectrum by holographic lithography," Nature, Nature, vol. 404(6773), pages 53-56, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Roel Burgwal & Ewold Verhagen, 2023. "Enhanced nonlinear optomechanics in a coupled-mode photonic crystal device," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Shuangshuang Zeng & Tian Tian & Jiwoo Oh & Zhan-Hong Lin & Chih-Jen Shih, 2025. "Direct nanopatterning of complex 3D surfaces and self-aligned superlattices via molecular-beam holographic lithography," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Myungwoo Choi & Juyoung An & Hyejeong Lee & Hanhwi Jang & Ji Hong Park & Donghwi Cho & Jae Yong Song & Seung Min Kim & Min-Wook Oh & Hosun Shin & Seokwoo Jeon, 2024. "High figure-of-merit for ZnO nanostructures by interfacing lowly-oxidized graphene quantum dots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Tsung-Hsien Lin & Duan-Yi Guo & Chun-Wei Chen & Ting-Mao Feng & Wen-Xin Zeng & Po-Chang Chen & Liang-Ying Wu & Wen-Ming Guo & Li-Min Chang & Hung-Chang Jau & Chun-Ta Wang & Timothy J. Bunning & Iam Ch, 2024. "Directed crystalline symmetry transformation of blue-phase liquid crystals by reverse electrostriction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63252-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.