Definition
Anisotropic etching is a subtractive microfabrication technique that aims to preferentially remove a material in specific directions to obtain intricate and often flat shapes. Wet techniques exploit the crystalline properties of a structure to etch in directions governed by crystallographic orientation. Dry techniques utilize an inhibitor to protect the sidewalls of a cavity during ion bombardment to obtain high aspect ratios.
Overview
In contrast to isotropic etching, anisotropic etching is a fabrication technique that removes material in specific directions allowing for the production of geometric characteristics such as sharp corners, flat surfaces, and deep cavities. Relative to microfabrication, selectivity can be defined as the ratio of the etch rate of the target material to the etch rate of other...
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House, D., Li, D. (2014). Anisotropic Etching. In: Li, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27758-0_35-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27758-0_35-3
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Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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