Etching

We offer wet and dry etching solutions to support a wide range of material etching needs, mainly for silicon. Our advanced dry etching systems use inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and reactive ion etching (RIE) technologies, enabling precise and versatile pattern transfer.

The etching equipment features independently controlled ICP and RF powers, providing flexible control over plasma generation and ion energy, respectively. This flexibility helps to achieve the following:

• high etching rates with excellent precision;
• well-defined and controlled sidewalls;
• high selectivity between mask and etch material.

Thanks to their large plasma area, the tools ensure highly uniform etching across substrates of up to 200 mm in diameter. This makes them ideal for applications requiring high uniformity and reduced substrate damage. These features enable the development of finely tuned etching processes that can be tailored to specific materials and structural requirements.

Processes and etch materials

• Chloride-, Fluoride-, Bromide-based etch processes
• Dielectric: SiO2, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, HfO₂, Ta₂O₅, Nb₂O_5, ITO, SiN, etc.
• Semiconductors: Si, Ge
• Compound semiconductors: GaAs, InP and GaSb based III-V compounds
• Metals: Cr, Al, Ti, etc.
• 2D-materials: graphene

Characteristics

• Independent source control for ICP and RF powers
• Uniform plasma over a large area
• High or low-pressure processes for controlling sample damage and etch parameters
• Wafer size: ≤ 200 mm

Examples of etched structures.

TAU’s equipment

TAU has three different etching devices. The main characteristics of each device are introduced below.

ICP Plasmalab 100 with Clorine Chemistry (ICP-RIE)

Operating parameter ranges

• Maximum sample size: 3″ wafer
• Total gas flow: 10 – 200 sccm
• Pressure: 1 – 60 mTorr
• ICP power: 200 – 2500 W
• RF power: 5 – 400 W
• Helium backing pressure: 0 – 30 Torr
• Temperature: -150 °C … +300 °C

 Compatible materials

• Process gasses: BCl₃, SiCl₄, Cl₂, Ar, SF₆, O₂, and N₂
• Etching materials:
  • Compound semiconductors: GaAs, InP and GaSb based III-V compounds
  • Semiconductors: Ge
  • Metals: Al, Ti, Cr

RIE Plasmalab 100 with Fluorine Chemistry (RIE)

Operating parameter ranges

• Maximum sample size: 6″ wafer
• Total gas flow: 10 – 150 sccm
• Pressure: 1 – 60 mTorr
• RF power: 5 – 400 W
• Helium backing pressure: 0 – 30 Torr
• Temperature: -150 °C … +300 °C

 Compatible materials

• Process gasses: BCl₃, SiCl₄, Cl₂, Ar, SF₆, O₂, and N₂
• Etching materials:
  • Compound semiconductors: GaAs, InP and GaSb based III-V compounds
  • Semiconductors: Ge
  • Metals: Al, Ti, Cr

Advanced Vacuum Vision 320 RIE

Operating parameter ranges

• Maximum sample size: 12″ wafer
• RF power: 600 W, 13.56 MHz
• Cooling: Water-cooled substrate table
• Etch depth measurement system: Optical

 Compatible materials

• Process gasses: Ar, CF₄, CHF₃, O₂, SF₆
• Etching materials:
  • no material limitations

UEF’s equipment

UEF has two different etching devices. The main characteristics of each device are introduced below.

PlasmaPro 100 Cobra ICP-RIE

Operating parameter ranges

• Maximum sample size: 8″ wafer
• Pressure: 1–250 mTorr
• ICP power: 0–3000 W
• RF power: 0–600 W
• Helium backing pressure: 0–50 Torr
• Temperature: -30–80 °C

Compatible materials

• Process gasses: BCl₃, Cl₂, HBr, Ar, SF₆, and O₂
• Etching materials:
  • Semiconductors: Si
  • Metals: Al, Cr
  • Dielectrics: Al₂O₃, HfO₂

PlasmaLab 80+ RIE + ICP 65

Operating parameter ranges

• Maximum sample size: 4″ wafer
• Pressure: 1 – 60 mTorr
• ICP power: 0–600 W
• ICP diameter: 65 mm
• RF power: 0–600 W
• Helium backing pressure: 0–30 Torr
• Temperature: -100–200 °C

Compatible materials

• Process gasses: CHF₃, C4F₈, SF₆, Ar, N₂ and O₂
• Etching materials:
  • Semiconductors: Si
  • Dielectrics: SiO₂, TiO₂, Ta₂O₅, Nb₂O₅, Si₃N₄
  • 2D material: graphene