Wet Etching

Wet etching refers to processes that use liquid chemicals to remove materials from samples. Important considerations for wet etching processes are the isotropic nature of the etch and it's impact to your desired pattern, the selectivity (ratio of etch rates between materials you want to remove and other materials that will be exposed to the etchant), and chemical safety. When selecting which equipment to use, you will need to consider the type of chemical, the size and shape of your sample, and the Cleanliness (formerly known as Contamination) group.

Technique Tabs

Main Tab

Processing Techniques	Equipment name & NEMO ID	Teaser Blurb	Cleanliness	Location
Silicon Nitride Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Clean_res- hotphos wbclean_res-hotphos	Semi-automated wet bench for etching silicon nitride from 3", 4", and 6" Si, SiGe, and quartz substrates using 155C phosphoric acid. The baths can hold up to 25 wafers. Part of the Clean Cleanliness Group.	Clean	SNF Cleanroom Paul G Allen L107
Silicon Oxide Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Clean_res-hf wbclean_res-hf	Semi-automated wet bench for etching oxide from 3", 4", and 6" Si, SiGe, and quartz substrates using 50:1 HF, 6:1BOE, or 20:1BOE. 2 baths can hold up to 25 wafers. Part of the Clean Cleanliness Group.	Clean	SNF Cleanroom Paul G Allen L107
Aluminum and Titanium and Tungsten Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench CMOS Metal wbclean3	Wet bench part of semiclean cleanliness group to etch Al, Ti, W, or silicon oxide from 3, 4, or 6 inch wafers. The tanks can hold up to 25 wafers.	Semiclean	SNF Cleanroom Paul G Allen L107
Decontamination, Metal Clean, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Resist Removal, Acid or Base Wet Etching, Aluminum and Titanium and Tungsten Wet Etching, Silicon Wet Etching, Silicon Oxide Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 1 wbflexcorr-1	Manual wet etching of non-standard materials using only SNF approved acids or bases. Hot plate available. GaAs allowed in personal labware only.	Flexible	SNF Cleanroom Paul G Allen L107
Acid or Base Wet Etching, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 2 wbflexcorr-2	Manual wet etching of non-standard materials using only SNF approved acids or bases. Hot pots available. GaAs allowed in personal labware only.	Flexible	SNF Cleanroom Paul G Allen L107
Acid or Base Wet Etching, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 3 wbflexcorr-3	Manual wet etching of non-standard materials using acids or bases. Hot Plate available. GaAs not allowed.	Flexible	SNF Cleanroom Paul G Allen L107
Acid or Base Wet Etching, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 4 wbflexcorr-4	Manual wet etching of non-standard materials using acids or bases. Hot plate, HF bath, and controlled temperature bath available. GaAs not allowed.	Flexible	SNF Cleanroom Paul G Allen L107

Detail Tab

Processing Technique	Equipment name & NEMO ID	Cleanliness	Chemicals	Primary Materials Etched	Other Materials Etched	Substrate Size	Maximum Load (number of wafers)	Notes
Silicon Nitride Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Clean_res- hotphos wbclean_res-hotphos	Clean		Si3N4		3" 4" 6"		Resist should have been removed
Silicon Oxide Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Clean_res-hf wbclean_res-hf	Clean	20:1 BOE 50:1 HF 6:1 BOE	SiO₂		3" 4" 6"		Resist as mask allowed
Aluminum and Titanium and Tungsten Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench CMOS Metal wbclean3	Semiclean	20:1 BOE 50:1 HF 6:1 BOE Al-Etch Ti-Etch W-etch	Al Ti W		3" 4" 6"	25 wafers	Al, Ti, or W wet etching or oxide etching
Decontamination, Metal Clean, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Resist Removal, Acid or Base Wet Etching, Aluminum and Titanium and Tungsten Wet Etching, Silicon Wet Etching, Silicon Oxide Wet Etching, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 1 wbflexcorr-1	Flexible	Acids Bases Gold Etchant 20:1 BOE 50:1 HF 6:1 BOE 9:1 Piranha Al-Etch Chrome Etch KOH SC1 SC2	Metals Al Au Cr Si SiO₂ Resist	GaAs Si3N4 Ti W	Pieces 2" 3" 4" 6"		Manual wet etching of non-standard materials. Hot plate available. GaAs allowed in personal labware only.
Acid or Base Wet Etching, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 2 wbflexcorr-2	Flexible	Acids Bases			Pieces 2" 3" 4" 6"		Manual wet etching of non-standard materials. Hot pots available. GaAs allowed in personal labware only
Acid or Base Wet Etching, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 3 wbflexcorr-3	Flexible	Acids Bases			Pieces 2" 3" 4" 6"		Manual wet etching of non-standard materials using acids or bases. Hot Plate available. GaAs not allowed.
Acid or Base Wet Etching, Piranha Cleaning, Wet Chemical Processing	Wet Bench Flexcorr 4 wbflexcorr-4	Flexible	Acids Bases			Pieces 2" 3" 4" 6"		Manual wet etching of non-standard materials using acids or bases. Hot plate, HF bath, and controlled temperature bath available. GaAs not allowed.

Techniques

Wet Etching

Technique Tabs