284 Technologies | Etch/Plasma Etching (Process Technology)
Plasma etching is a dry process that uses etchant gasses to selectively remove materials from a substrate surface. At Plasma-Therm®, each of their various etch systems are founded in plasma-processing. Their plasma etching processes are more precise, cost effective, cleaner, and safer than wet etching. While wet etch processes use chemical etchants to remove materials, plasma etching converts gasses to plasma to selectively remove material.
Plasma etching is used for semiconductor wafer processing, as well as in MEMS and compound semiconductor manufacturing. Performed under vacuum and often automated, the company offers systems that perform various plasma-etch processes. Each of these are explained in greater detail via the links below:
Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)