There are two popular etching processes being used to produce patterned sapphire substrate - the dry and wet etching. It is imperative to know the differences between the two so that a manufacturing company is able to determine which between the two is better. To help you with that, I have prepared below some points of comparison:
Dry etching
- the most popular method used by manufacturing companies to etch sapphire substrates and it has a very slow process with a low throughput rate;
- Etching a standard 2-inch wafer can take between 30 and 60 minutes;
- dry etching does not scale effectively, according to experts; throughput of a dry etcher falls as wafer size increases as fewer wafers fit inside the vacuum chamber. To address the issue, an etcher uses more expensive etching plasma etching tools -- to achieve throughput that is achieved when using smaller wafers;
- the dry etching rates range between 50nm and 200nm per minute;
- it creates bright, efficient LEDs but does so slowly and with limited throughput.
Wet etching
- it has the advantage of being an extremely fast process and it can be carried out in a lot cheaper procedure than dry etching;
- the LEDs that are produced using wet etching process are not as efficient and effective as that of the dry etching process; however, it is very scalable.
- wet etching process can save some of the operational costs as it is a lot cheaper than the dry etching process;
- in a wet etching process, the etcher needs to perform a polishing touch-up on the wafers to improve the light extraction efficiency.
Some equipment used in etching process:
The Accubath Xe-Series -- designed to perform a wet etching process; this etching bath equipment has been proven to be a great help for semiconductor manufacturers as it helps improve the processes that were previously thought to be too slow due to temperature limitations. This equipment is developed by Imtec Acculine.
Hitachi High-tech Silicon Etch System -- this equipment is capable of generating a stable high density plasma at a very low pressure; it is utilized in dry etching based on an ECR (*1) plasma source.
CDE-80N Chemical Dry Etching Equipment -- used chemical dry etching process for thin film in a gaseous state semiconductor process. Damage-free etching process, through perfect separation of the etching unit and plasma generating unit, enables wide use in the damage removal process.
Each of the etching processes discussed above has its own advantages and disadvantages. But, just like any other processes, stick to the one you think can help in improving your bottom-line -- revenue.
Dry etching
- the most popular method used by manufacturing companies to etch sapphire substrates and it has a very slow process with a low throughput rate;
- Etching a standard 2-inch wafer can take between 30 and 60 minutes;
- dry etching does not scale effectively, according to experts; throughput of a dry etcher falls as wafer size increases as fewer wafers fit inside the vacuum chamber. To address the issue, an etcher uses more expensive etching plasma etching tools -- to achieve throughput that is achieved when using smaller wafers;
- the dry etching rates range between 50nm and 200nm per minute;
- it creates bright, efficient LEDs but does so slowly and with limited throughput.
Wet etching
- it has the advantage of being an extremely fast process and it can be carried out in a lot cheaper procedure than dry etching;
- the LEDs that are produced using wet etching process are not as efficient and effective as that of the dry etching process; however, it is very scalable.
- wet etching process can save some of the operational costs as it is a lot cheaper than the dry etching process;
- in a wet etching process, the etcher needs to perform a polishing touch-up on the wafers to improve the light extraction efficiency.
Some equipment used in etching process:
The Accubath Xe-Series -- designed to perform a wet etching process; this etching bath equipment has been proven to be a great help for semiconductor manufacturers as it helps improve the processes that were previously thought to be too slow due to temperature limitations. This equipment is developed by Imtec Acculine.
Hitachi High-tech Silicon Etch System -- this equipment is capable of generating a stable high density plasma at a very low pressure; it is utilized in dry etching based on an ECR (*1) plasma source.
CDE-80N Chemical Dry Etching Equipment -- used chemical dry etching process for thin film in a gaseous state semiconductor process. Damage-free etching process, through perfect separation of the etching unit and plasma generating unit, enables wide use in the damage removal process.
Each of the etching processes discussed above has its own advantages and disadvantages. But, just like any other processes, stick to the one you think can help in improving your bottom-line -- revenue.
About the Author:
Paul Drake writes a wide variety of industry-related topics like etching sapphire equipment. He leverages his years of work experience in a high tech industry in writing useful resources. To learn more about wet etching process, visit Imtec Acculine official website.