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WAVEETCH™ / SINGLE-SIDED WET PROCESSING

Etch one side.
Protect  the other.

Precision wet etching and wafer thinning without coating, masking, or otherwise protecting the non-process side.

NON-PROCESS SIDE REMAINS UNDISTURBED
CONTROLLED PROCESS SIDE
<0.1%ACHIEVABLE TTV
01True single-sided processing
02No backside protection
03Fewer handling steps
04Lab-to-fab scalability

01 — PROCESS ADVANTAGE

A simpler route to
controlled results.

WaveEtch confines the wet chemistry to the process surface while keeping the opposite side unaffected by either liquid or vapor incursion. The result is a precise, clean, ultra-uniform, alternative to conventional immersion, spray or spin wet processing.

By eliminating backside protection and the steps used to apply and remove it, WaveEtch can reduce handling, process time, cost, and opportunities for damage or contamination. The latter is particularly true for thin substrates or very fragile materials such as InP or GaAs.

02 — HOW IT WORKS

Confine the chemistry.
Control the outcome.

01

Position

The substrate is exposed to a controlled process zone without immersing its opposite surface.

02

Process

Etchant or thinning chemistry is delivered precisely to the selected side under repeatable conditions.

03

Rinse & dry

Integrated processing completes the cycle while minimizing transfers and unnecessary handling.

03 — SYSTEM FAMILY

One process architecture.
Three scales of operation.

Choose the configuration that fits development, flexible production, or high-throughput fab integration. Process capabilities and options can be tailored to the application.

MATECH WaveEtch 456-G2 automated wet processing system

01 / WAVEETCH

456-G2

High-throughput production

The flagship WaveEtch platform pairs the family’s highest throughput with a full-size, cassette-to-cassette wafer loader and unloader (EFEM).

Automated fab configuration
MATECH WaveEtch 212me2 wet processing system

02 / WAVEETCH

212me / 212me2

Flexible production

A compact, dry-in/dry-out platform with the full WaveEtch process capability, configurable with one or two mini-EFEMs and substrate-handling options.

Balanced footprint and throughput
MATECH WaveEtch 112-G manual-load wet processing system

03 / WAVEETCH

112-G

Manual-load system

The most streamlined member of the family: manual load and unload with full-featured dry-in/dry-out processing and the same single-sided etching quality.

Development and lower-volume work

04 — APPLICATIONS

Built for demanding materials and exacting processes.

WaveEtch processes can be optimized for the material, removal target, substrate geometry, and required uniformity.

Request a process evaluation
01III-V compound semiconductors
02GaAs wafer processing
03Laser diode fabrication
04Advanced optical components
05MEMS and microfabrication
06Custom substrate development

START WITH THE PROCESS

Tell us what you need to etch,
thin, or protect.

MATECH can help define the right process and system configuration for your material, throughput, automation, and facility requirements.

Talk with an engineer