Effects of Pretreatment on the Etch Pit Formation during the Electrochemical Etching of Aluminum

Abstract:

The effect of chemical pretreatments on the electrochemical etching behavior of aluminum was investigated with the topographic studies of surface and the analysis of initial potential transients. Two-step pretreatments with H3PO4 and H2SiF6 result in a high density of pre-etch pits on aluminum surface by the incorporation of phosphate ion inside the oxide film and the removal of surface layer by aggressive fluorosilicic acid solution. It generates a high density of etch pits during electrochemical etching and results in the capacitance increase of etched Al electrode by expanding the surface area, up to 61.3 μF/cm2 with the pretreatment solution of 0.5M H3PO4 at 65°C and 10 mM H2SiF6 at 45°C.

• Periodical: Solid State Phenomena (Volumes 124-126)
• Pages: 1561-1564
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.124-126.1561
• Online since: June 2007
• Authors: Jae Kwang Lee, Yun Ho Shin, Jin Wook Kang, Yong Sug Tak
• Keywords: Aluminum Etching, Etch Pit, Potential Transients, Pre-Treatment

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