  For many emerging optoelectronic materials, heteroepitaxial growth techniques
do not offer the same high material quality afforded by bulk, single-crystal
growth. However, the need for optical, electrical, or mechanical isolation at
the nanoscale level often necessitates the use of a dissimilar substrate, upon
which the active device layer stands. Faraday cage angled-etching (FCAE)
obviates the need for these planar, thin-film technologies by enabling in-situ
device release and isolation through an angled-etching process. By placing a
Faraday cage around the sample during inductively-coupled plasma reactive ion
etching (ICP-RIE), the etching plasma develops an equipotential at the cage
surface, directing ions normal to its face. In this Article, the effects
Faraday cage angle, mesh size, and sample placement have on etch angle,
uniformity, and mask selectivity are investigated within a silicon etching
platform. Simulation results qualitatively confirm experiments and help to
clarify the physical mechanisms at work. These results will help guide FCAE
process design across a wide range of material platforms.
