ballisticetched
Ballisticetched is a neologism used in materials science and nanofabrication to describe a class of etching processes that rely on ballistic energy transfer from high-velocity particles to a substrate to remove material. The term blends ballistic, relating to projectiles or rapid motion, with etched, indicating material removal to reveal underlying structures.
In practice, ballisticetched processes use directed bombardment by energetic ions, neutral atoms, or micro-particles. The energy,
Common implementations include ion-beam milling, focused ion beam (FIB) etching, and laser-assisted ballistic sputtering, where the
Materials and applications: studies typically involve silicon, silicon dioxide, III–V semiconductors, metals, and wide-bandgap materials. Potential
Advantages and challenges: ballisticetched can produce highly anisotropic profiles with smooth sidewalls and rapid material removal,
History and terminology: the term ballisticetched appears in a limited set of niche research literature and
Outlook: ongoing work seeks to improve controllability of ballistic flux, combine ballistic etching with in situ