Selective Etching of (111)B-Oriented AlxGa1−xAs-Layers for Epitaxial Lift-Off

GaAs-(111)-nanostructures exhibiting second harmonic generation are new building blocks in nonlinear optics. Such structures can be fabricated through epitaxial lift-off using selective etching of Al-containing layers and subsequent transfer to glass substrates. Herein, the selective etching of (111)B-oriented AlxGa1−xAs sacrificial layers (10–50 nm thick) with different aluminum concentrations (x = 0.5–1.0) in 10\% hydrofluoric acid is investigated and compared with standard (100)-oriented structures. The thinner the sacrificial layer and the lower the aluminum content, the lower the lateral etch rate. For both orientations, the lateral etch rates are in the same order of magnitude, but some quantitative differences exist. Furthermore, the epitaxial lift-off, the transfer, and the nanopatterning of thin (111)B-oriented GaAs membranes are demonstrated. Atomic force microscopy and high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements reveal the high structural quality of the transferred GaAs-(111) films.