Modutek Corporation, a leader in wet processing equipment, manufactures products for the semiconductor industry which include the TFa and TI series PFA Teflon tanks.The products fully support the KOH etching (using Potassium Hydroxide) and TMAH etching (using Tetramethylammonium hydroxide) processes.
Modutek's line of heated Teflon tanks is available in three forms: Temperature Controlled Recirculating Baths, Temperature Controlled Static Baths, and Teflon® Ambient Baths.
Teflon tanks are constructed with a modular design, and come with two available heat sources. They are equipped with a fluid path which is also lined with Teflon®. They have control temperatures of ± 0.5ยบ C while the processing takes place, and process etch uniformity from wafer to wafer is <2%. Teflon®-lined tanks are constructed with 360-degree overflow filtering and draining.
KOH and TMAH are anisotropic silicon etches used to make cavities in silicon. Therefore they are ideal for creating V-grooves, holes and membranes through wafers and other devices. These etches can be deep or shallow, and have the tendency to etch any exposed silicon -- that's why a masking layer is needed to protect the silicon.
Between the two (and all other hydroxides), KOH provides the best etching results. It also etches the fastest, and this process is also safe and easy to implement. Another plus for KOH etching is that it definitely costs less than other etching processes. TMAH, on the other hand, has a slower etch rate, and this is preferable if the masking layer used is made of silicon oxide.
Teflon®-lined tanks are created and designed to reduce the contaminants and non-essential byproducts caused by progressive welding techniques with PFA (tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer) sheet material. They provide effective corrosion resistance. After the first process has been performed, there's no need for constant adjustment to the Si (silicon) etching process.
Modutek creates and designs its all of their Teflon® tanks according to the needs and specifications requested by their customers. The company is best at what it does – designing, creating, and constructing products that are compatible and suitable with other wet bench equipment, per their customer’s specifications.
KOH and TMAH etching is best implemented when it uses wet bench equipment with Modutek's TFa or TT series of PFA Teflon-lined tanks. The Teflon® -lined tanks come with a manual cover with an overlapping seal. They are constructed to minimize the chances of liquid loss. When it's used for a long etch time, you will never encounter any concentration deficiency.
Modutek's Teflon® tanks offer two heat source options: Teflon® inline heating, and immersion heating. As the company customizes its Teflon® tanks, it also augments additional features and options. These customized options include unlimited size of the tanks, bottom drain features, magnetic stirrer for agitation, water condensing refluxor technique (available for all baths), and spiking system for both de-ionized (DI) water and isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
Modutek is known for its world-class service as well as its installation and support for their Teflon tanks and any of their other related wet bench equipment. Their products and services focus on precision, reliability, throughput, up-time and usability. You can learn more about the Teflon tanks or any of the other equipment Modutek designs and manufactures by calling them at 866-803-1533 or sending an email to Sales@Modutek.com.
