Silicon Etch Bench

Introduction

Associated documents and references

TMAH MSDS

KOH MSDS

Equipment used and safety considerations

• Silicon wet etch sink
• Always wear the personnel protective equipment when working at the sink

Verification prior to processing

Prior to processing you need to:

• plan your experiment and the time needed for the etch. Often time, etches can last several hours and can be done when the fab is closed. Plan accordingly.
• The bath is kept at room temperature when not in use. Allow 1 hour for it to reach the operating temperature of 85°C
• A 30-min etch rate test is preferable before etching your real sample.

Processing step

• Turn on the heater by pressing the "Hold" key
• Wait at least one hour for the bath to heat and stabilize
• Set the right-hand side timer to the appropriate time
• Place your sample into a teflon cassette or holder equipped with a sufficiently long handle to allow secure diving of the assembly in the tank
• Using the handle, dive your samle + holder in the tank and start the timer above
• Close lid and start timer.
• When etch time is over, remove teflon holder or cassette from bath and put in the quick dump rinser. Press Reset and Start on the QDR control panel to initiate a rinse cycle. Use the gooseneck for small samples.
• Turn off the bath heater by pressing "hold"