Large Scale Engineered Nanostructured Surfaces by Reactive Ion Etching with Kinetically Self-Assembled Non-continuous Metal Film as Etching Mask

ABSTRACTIn this study, we explored the possibility of using annealed non-continuous metal film enabled etching technique to produce large nano-structured surfaces. Non-continuous Ag film is deposited on silicon wafer with a thin layer of silicon dioxide using E-beam deposition, and then vacuum thermal annealing was applied on the deposited films, causing nano-scaled Ag particles to migrate and agglomerate into self-assembled islands of larger nanometer dimensions. We controlled the density and average size of the metal islands through thickness of the initial film and subsequent annealing rates. Reactive ion etching through the metal islands mask into the underneath silicon dioxide layer was performed following the annealing process. Preliminary hydrophobicity experiments were carried out using the engineered nano-structured surfaces.