# US 2017/0253479 A1 · Making nanochannels and nanotunnels

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- Number: US 2017/0253479 A1
- Document ID: US20170253479A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/442,952
- Filed: 2017-02-27
- Published: 2017-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-03
- Assignees: Government of the USA, AS Represent By the Secretary of Commerce
- Applicants: Government of the USA, AS Represent By the Secretary of Commerce
- Inventors: BABAK NIKOOBAKHT, IV
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170253479A1

## CPC

- B82B 3/0019: {without movable or flexible elements}
- B01L 3/502707: {characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components}
- B81C 1/00063: {Trenches}
- B82B 1/001: {Devices without movable or flexible elements}
- H10P 14/6312: {of Group III-V semiconductors}
- H10P 50/646: {of Group III-V materials}
- H10P 95/904: {of Group III-V semiconductors}
- B01L 2200/12: Specific details about manufacturing devices
- B01L 2300/0896: Nanoscaled
- B81B 2203/033: Trenches
- B81C 2201/0149: Forming nanoscale microstructures using auto-arranging or self-assembling material
- B82B: NANOSTRUCTURES FORMED BY MANIPULATION OF INDIVIDUAL ATOMS, MOLECULES, OR LIMITED COLLECTIONS OF ATOMS OR MOLECULES AS DISCRETE UNITS; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT THEREOF
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00)

## Abstract

A process for making a nanoduct includes: disposing an etchant catalyst on a semiconductor substrate including a single crystal structure; heating the semiconductor substrate to an etching temperature; introducing an oxidant; contacting the semiconductor substrate with the oxidant in a presence of the etchant catalyst; anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate by the etchant catalyst in a presence of the oxidant in an etch direction that is coincident along a crystallographic axis of the semiconductor substrate; and forming the nanoduct as the etchant catalyst propagates along a surface of the semiconductor substrate during anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate, the nanoduct being crystallographically aligned with the crystallographic axis of the semiconductor substrate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for making a nanoduct, the process comprising:
disposing an etchant catalyst on a semiconductor substrate comprising a single crystal structure;
heating the semiconductor substrate to an etching temperature;
introducing an oxidant;
contacting the semiconductor substrate with the oxidant in a presence of the etchant catalyst;
anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate by the etchant catalyst in a presence of the oxidant in an etch direction that is coincident along a crystallographic axis of the semiconductor substrate; and
forming the nanoduct as the etchant catalyst propagates along a surface of the semiconductor substrate during anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate, the nanoduct being crystallographically aligned with the crystallographic axis of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 1, further comprising:
forming a pattern of the etchant catalyst on the surface of the semiconductor substrate prior to introducing the oxidant.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 2, further comprising:
forming a plurality of droplets comprising the etchant catalyst in response to heating the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 1, further comprising:
dissolving, by the etchant catalyst, a portion of the semiconductor substrate in contact with the etchant catalyst during anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 2, further comprising:
converting the portion of the semiconductor substrate to a volatile oxide during anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 5, converting the portion of the semiconductor substrate to the volatile oxides comprises:
reacting the portion of the semiconductor substrate with oxidant to form the volatile oxide.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 1, further comprising:
disposing a covering layer on the semiconductor substrate to form a covered portion of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 7, further comprising:
anisotropically etching the covered portion of the semiconductor substrate by the etchant catalyst in presence of the oxidant in the etch direction that is coincident along the crystallographic axis of the semiconductor substrate; and
forming the nanoduct comprising a nanotunnel in the covered portion of the semiconductor substrate in response to anisotropically etching the covered portion.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 1, further comprising:
disposing a blocking layer on the semiconductor substrate to form a blocking portion of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 9, further comprising:
terminating the anisotropically etching of the semiconductor substrate at the blocking portion.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 1, wherein:
the etchant catalyst comprises gold, silver, gallium arsenide, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing etchant catalysts.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 1, wherein:
the semiconductor substrate comprises arsenic, gallium, germanium, indium, phosphorous, silicon, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing semiconductor substrates.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 12, wherein:
the semiconductor substrate comprises gallium arsenide, indium arsenide, indium phosphide, silicon, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing semiconductor substrates.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 1, wherein:
the nanoduct comprises a nanochannel, a nanotunnel, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing nanoducts.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 14, wherein:
the nanoduct further comprises a nanofrustocone.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 15, wherein:
the nanofrustocone comprises a convergent nanofrustocone.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 15, wherein:
the nanofrustocone comprises a divergent nanofrustocone.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 14, wherein:
the nanoduct comprises the nanochannel, and the nanochannel comprises a truncated nanofrustocone.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 18, wherein:
the truncated nanofrustocone comprises a convergent truncated nanofrustocone.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The process for making a nanoduct of claim 18, wherein:
the truncated nanofrustocone comprises a divergent truncated nanofrustocone.