Industrial etching
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In industry, etching (sometimes called chemical milling or wet etching) is the process of using acids, bases or other chemicals to dissolve away unwanted materials such as metals, semiconductor materials or glass. It has applications in the printed circuit board and semiconductor fabrication industries.
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[edit] History of etching
The process is known to have been used in Europe in the middle ages, where it was applied to the decoration of armour. One such craftsman, Daniel Hopfer (circa 1470-1536) of Augsburg, Germany, is credited with being the first person to apply the method to printmaking.
[edit] Common etchants
Commonly used etchants for copper are:
- Iron (III) Chloride Ferric chloride
- Ammonium persulfate
- Ammonia
Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a very efficient etchant for silicon dioxide. It is however very dangerous if it comes into contact with the body.
[edit] Etching in the semiconductor industry
Etching is used widely to manufacture integrated circuits and MEMS. In addition to the standard, liquid-based techniques, the semiconductor industry commonly uses plasma etching.
[edit] See also
- Etching (art), for printmaking and related uses
