Dry and Wet Etching are two popular processes that are being used for the production of patterned sapphire substrate. Having said that, it makes sense to understand the difference between the two so that you can determine which particular process suits best to your unique needs. So, I have prepared below some sort of comparison between the two processes.
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;
- the time to etch a standard 2-inch wafer is between 30 and 60 minutes;
- it does not scale effectively. As a wafer size increases, throughput of a dry etcher falls as fewer wafers fit inside the vacuum chamber. And because of that, more expensive plasma etching tools are needed to achieve the same throughput as achieved by smaller wafers;
- the dry etching rates range between 50nm and 200nm per minute;
- dry etching creates bright and efficient LEDs but the process takes it so slow and 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;
- it produces LEDs that are not quite as efficient and effective as the dry etching process, however it is very scalable;
- it provides a considerable cost saving than the dry etching;
- in a wet etching process, the etcher needs to perform a polishing touch-up on the wafers to improve the light extraction efficiency.
Sample of equipment utilized in sapphire etching process:
The Accubath Xe-Series -- used in wet etching process; an etching bath equipment developed by Imtec Acculine with Sapphire etching in mind. This particular tool has been proven to be a great help in semiconductor manufacturing as this tool helps to process substrate in a fast manner and improves the processes that were previously thought to be too slow because of temperature constraint.
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, choose the one you think can improve your bottom-line -- net income.
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;
- the time to etch a standard 2-inch wafer is between 30 and 60 minutes;
- it does not scale effectively. As a wafer size increases, throughput of a dry etcher falls as fewer wafers fit inside the vacuum chamber. And because of that, more expensive plasma etching tools are needed to achieve the same throughput as achieved by smaller wafers;
- the dry etching rates range between 50nm and 200nm per minute;
- dry etching creates bright and efficient LEDs but the process takes it so slow and 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;
- it produces LEDs that are not quite as efficient and effective as the dry etching process, however it is very scalable;
- it provides a considerable cost saving than the dry etching;
- in a wet etching process, the etcher needs to perform a polishing touch-up on the wafers to improve the light extraction efficiency.
Sample of equipment utilized in sapphire etching process:
The Accubath Xe-Series -- used in wet etching process; an etching bath equipment developed by Imtec Acculine with Sapphire etching in mind. This particular tool has been proven to be a great help in semiconductor manufacturing as this tool helps to process substrate in a fast manner and improves the processes that were previously thought to be too slow because of temperature constraint.
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, choose the one you think can improve your bottom-line -- net income.
About the Author:
Paul Drake writes a wide array of industry-related topics like etching sapphire equipment. He utilizes 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.
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