Wet Etching

 

Wet etching is a chemical process in semiconductor manufacturing that uses a chemical solution to react with a material to remove unwanted layers of material. This technique involves immersing a silicon wafer in a specific chemical solution that corrodes away the target material, such as silicon or silicon oxide, through a chemical reaction. Wet etching can be isotropic, meaning it etchs at the same rate in all directions, making it suitable for cleaning and surface treatment. It has the advantages of simple equipment, low cost, and less damage to the device. Different materials require different chemical solutions, such as treating silicon oxide with hydrofluoric acid (HF) or treating silicon with an alkaline solution such as potassium hydroxide. In the field of microelectronics and nanotechnology, wet etching is one of the key steps in forming accurate patterns and cleaning wafer surfaces.