Sacrificial etching of III - V compounds for micromechanical devices

Sacrificial etching of III - V compounds is reviewed with emphasis on its use in surface micromachining of micromechanical structures. A table is presented with 23 different combinations of stopping layers, sacrificial layers, and etchants for sacrificial etching of GaAs- and InP-based epitaxial heterostructures. Examples of surface micromachined microstructures of III - V compounds are shown, and some possible applications are discussed.