Etching and Fabrication Equipment

Etching and fabrication equipment is a core component of electronic component manufacturing, specializing in forming precise structures by removing material layers. It is widely used in fields such as semiconductors, optoelectronics, and integrated circuits. These devices ensure high precision, high integration, and reliable performance.

 

1. Key Equipment and Technology Types

Etching and fabrication equipment encompasses a variety of advanced technologies, primarily including:

 

Plasma Etching Equipment: Utilizes inductively coupled plasma (ICP) to achieve nanometer-level etching precision, suitable for semiconductor wafer processing. Key components, such as the focusing ring, use voltage to control plasma uniformity, improving chip yield.

 

Photochemical Etching Equipment: Used for precision metal processing (such as titanium plates or circuit boards), it uses chemical solutions and photolithography to achieve micron-level etching, supporting customized production.

 

Wet Etching Equipment: Involves the application of etchants in microfluidic systems, combined with photolithography to form channel networks, and is suitable for non-silicon-based materials.

 

2. Core Functions and Application Scenarios

Etching equipment plays a key role in electronics manufacturing:

 

Optoelectronic Device Fabrication: This encompasses photolithography, thin film deposition, and etching processes, supporting the development of devices such as lasers and detectors. Materials include non-silicon substrates such as gallium arsenide and gallium nitride.

 

Semiconductor Manufacturing: Highly corrosion-resistant materials (such as silicon carbide) for components like focus rings extend equipment life and meet the demands of integrated circuit miniaturization.

 

Resource Recycling and Environmental Protection: Developing recycling technologies for waste etching solutions (such as printed circuit board microetching solutions) enables efficient copper resource utilization and pollution control.

 

3. Technological Advances and Future Directions

Global innovations in electronic materials are driving etching technology towards greener and more intelligent processes. For example, new focus ring materials such as boron carbide are pushing performance limits to meet the demands of high-power etching.