Etching

Etching A process in which parts other than the necessary circuit pattern are removed from a wafer. The semiconductor etching process applies a similar etching logic as copperplate etching, an engraving method. Like how images are engraved by chemical corrosion in etching, the semiconductor etching process also uses a liquid or gas etchant to remove unnecessary parts and make the semiconductor circuit patterns. The etching process can be sorted into the types of materials that react to the etching itself. There is wet etching, where soluble chemical materials are used, and dry etching, where ionized gas and similar substances are used. Dry etching, compared to wet etching, is more costly and complicated. However, as the semiconductor circuit margins are narrowing down, to increase the yield, dry etching is becoming increasingly more common.