Laser chemical etching of vias in GaAs

Rapid drilling of vias in thick wafers (381 µm) of GaAs has been achieved by a laser assisted etching process. The technique utilized a cw visible argon ion laser and an etchant gas of low pressure Cl
2
. Data on the dependence of the etch rate on the laser power, wavelength, and Cl
2
gas pressure are presented.