Rapid nanofabrication via UV-assisted selective etching on GaAs without templates

UV-assisted selective etching was proposed to raise the etching rate for rapid fabrication on GaAs without templates. Within the same time, protrusive hillocks stemming from the photochemical etching are obvious higher than that of traditional chemical etching. The hillock height produced by the photochemical etching increases linearly and then gradually decreases with etching time, and the scratch produced by higher load can change into higher hillock after etching. By programming tip traces, various patterns, including pyramidal tips, were fabricated on GaAs surface. This study provides opportunities for fabricating high-quality GaAs-based optical structures and devices with low cost and high efficiency.