ABSTRACT
The aim of this review is to present general characteristics of selective etching and its position among other methods used for structural characterization of compound semiconductors. Classification of etching methods will be given based on different criteria such as: (i) mechanism of surface reactions, (ii) type of selectivity, (iii) direct/indirect use in the studies of defects. The importance of methods used for evaluation of the effects of etching is demonstrated. Illustrative examples are presented on: (i) the application of material-selective etching methods in the study of defects in device structures, (ii) the ultra-high sensitivity of the optimized shallow etching procedure for the analysis of submicron size defects, (iii) the importance of calibration of etching with other direct and high spatial resolution techniques.
