Damage-free photo-assisted cryogenic etching of GaN as evidenced by reduction of yellow luminescence

Damage-free etching of GaN by Cl₂, assisted by an ArF (193 nm) excimer laser, is demonstrated. At low temperatures, photo-assisted etching can provide a better etch rate and largely improve the surface morphology and quality. AFM results show that the etched GaN surface is obtained with a root-mean-square roughness of 1.7 nm. As compared with the photoluminescence spectra of photoelectrochemical wet etched GaN, the photo-assisted cryogenic etching is proved to be a damage-free dry etching technique.