Effects of Grooved Surface with Nano-ridges on Silicon Substrate on Anisotropic Wettability

A grooved surface with anisotropic wettability was fabricated on a silicon substrate using photolithography, reactive ion etching, and a KOH etching process. The contact angles (CAs) of water droplets were measured and compared with the theoretical values in the Cassie state and Wenzel state. The experimental results showed that the contact area between a water droplet and a solid surface was important to determine the wettability of the water. The specimens with native oxide layers presented CAs ranging from $71.6^{\circ}$ to $86.4^{\circ}$. The droplets on the specimens with a native oxide layer could be in the Cassie state because they had relatively smooth surfaces. However, the CAs of the specimens with thick oxide layers ranged from $33.4^{\circ}$ to $59.1^{\circ}$. This indicated that the surface roughness for a specimen with a relatively thick oxide layer was higher, and the water droplet was in the Wenzel state. From the CA measurement results, it was observed that the wetting on the grooved surface was anisotropic for all of the specimens.

실리콘 기판 위에 제작된 나노 크기의 구조물을 가진 그루브 표면이 이방성 젖음에 미치는 영향