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The hidden technology of microfabrication: How will etching change the future of semiconductors?
In micro-manufacturing technology, the application of etching technology will become a key link in semiconductor manufacturing. The etching process not only affects the performance of components, but can also change the future of the entire semiconductor industry. How to make good use of these secrets in the ever-advancing technology has become an important issue that industry professionals must face.
Etching technology provides the semiconductor manufacturing process with micron-level precision that is critical to the performance of modern electronic devices.
Basic introduction to etching
The etching process can be said to be an indispensable part of semiconductor manufacturing, especially in the process of removing multiple layers of materials from the surface of the wafer. Each wafer typically goes through multiple etching steps before it is completed. During these processes, a portion of the wafer is protected by a corrosion-resistant material, which is usually called a "mask material." Most often, the mask material is patterned using photoresist, while in some cases a more robust mask such as silicon nitride is required.
Etching media and technology
Etching technology can be divided into two basic types: liquid phase etching (called wet etching) and plasma phase etching (called dry etching). These two methods each have their own unique advantages and application scenarios.
Wet Etching
Wet etching was the earliest etching process used, in which the wafer is immersed in a chemical etching solution, but this method was gradually replaced by dry etching in the late 1980s. Chemicals in solution such as bifluoride phosphate (BHF) are a common choice for etching silicon dioxide. Although wet etching has limited applications, it still has specific advantages in certain situations, such as high selectivity and simple equipment requirements.
The problem with wet etching is its isotropy, which can lead to large deviations when etching thicker films, which is very disadvantageous in advanced technologies.
Dry Etching
Modern VLSI (large-scale integrated circuit) processes prefer dry etching, which provides higher precision and selectivity. In particular, deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technology can create finer and narrower features. This requires plasma to operate at low pressure to generate chemical radicals with high energy, which then react on the wafer surface. Furthermore, better control of the plasma parameters can help change the characteristics of the etch, even enabling very sharp edges in some cases.
Compared to traditional wet etching, dry etching provides more controlled features and can achieve the required precision in multi-layer structures without damaging underlying layers or masking layers.
The future of etching technology
As semiconductor technology continues to advance, the demand for etching technology also increases. In the future, we may see more advanced etching techniques that can perform finer processing at higher efficiency. Industry experts believe that the development of innovative technologies will further promote the development of new materials and new semiconductor devices, which will change our lives in the future.
As technology advances, etching technology will become the core of driving various emerging applications, including the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and other emerging fields.
No matter how much we have achieved in technological development, how to use etching technology to improve semiconductor performance in the future is still a topic we need to think deeply about? "
