A study of the Mechanical Effects in the Coupling Process of Excimer Laser Electrochemical Etching
Y-H. Long, Y-J. Xie, L-C. Xiong, X-Q. Yang and T-L. Shi
To explore further the characteristic of mechanical effects in the process of laser-induced electrochemical etching, the experiments of micromachining silicon by laser-induced electrochemical etching are carried out. This paper adopts a KrF excimer laser as the light source and uses KOH solution as the electrolyte. By experiments and theoretical analysis, mechanical effects were studied in the process of high-energy and short-pulse laser electrochemical etching; the removal mechanism of brittle materials by mechanical effects was analysed. The results show that mechanical effect is significant when high-energy and short-pulse laser interacting with substances in solution, and mechanical effects enhance the etching of brittle materials. By the study of mechanical effects when short-pulse excimer laser interacting with matter in liquid, the mechanism of laser electrochemical process was further understood.
Keywords: Excimer laser, silicon, coupling, electrochemical, etching, mechanical effects