Kinetics of laser-stimulated etching of CdxHg1 – xTe

An experimental investigation was made of laser-stimulated etching of a II-VI semiconductor in liquid solutions containing Br₂. Rectangular channels were etched in Cd_xHg_1 – xTe at rates up to 1 cm/s. The spatial resolution of the channels was ~ 5 μm to a depth of ~ 20 μm. The etching kinetics was governed by the thermal diffusion instability of the etchant layer.