Reactive ion etching of InAlAs and InAlGaAswith BCl 3 /Cl 2 /CH 4 /H 2 mixtures forlong-wavelength VCSELs

A novel reactive ion etching process for the InAlGaAs material system lattice matched to InP using BCl3/Cl2/CH4/H2 mixtures is presented. The etching speed is ~ 700 Å/min, which remains approximately the same for all InAlGaAs compositions. The smoothness and the anisotropy of the etched wall appear to be very good. The etching characteristics of InP and mask materials are also reported.