Apparatus and method for wet-etching

• US 20060144822A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: InnoLux Corporation
• Original Assignee: Innolux Display Corporation (InnoLux Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Jung-Lung, Ou, Chen-Hsien, Gau, Sheng-Chou, Chiu, Li-Feng
• Application Number:
  US11/317,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20060144822A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/83
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 15/00 Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by etching etching or surface-brightening compositions, in general C09K13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67236 the substrates being processed being not semiconductor wafers, e.g. leadframes or chips

Abstract

A wet-etching apparatus (20) includes a first etching chamber (213), a second etching chamber (215), and a cleaning chamber (214) located between the first and second etching chambers. The wet-etching apparatus includes the cleaning chamber disposed between the first and second etching chambers. After being etched in the first etching chamber and before being conveyed to the second etching chamber, a glass substrate is cleaned, so that the residue thereon is removed. Because no resultant blocks the wet-etching reaction, the glass substrate is etched uniformly. Thus, the quality and the yield of the wet-etching process are improved.

Claims

1. A wet-etching apparatus, comprising:

a first etching chamber;

a second etching chamber; and

a cleaning chamber located between the first and second etching chambers;

wherein residue produced in the first etching chamber is removed in the cleaning chamber.

2. The wet-etching apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a waiting chamber for holding substrates to be etched.

3. The wet-etching apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a buffering chamber for conveying substrates from the waiting chamber to the first etching chamber.

4. The wet-etching apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a rinsing chamber for rinsing substrates that have been processed in the first and second etching chambers.

5. The wet-etching apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a dry-conveying chamber for conveying the substrates from the rinsing chamber to the waiting chamber.

6. The wet-etching apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a wet-conveying chamber disposed between the second etching chamber and the rinsing chamber.

7. A wet-etching method, comprising:

wet-etching a substrate a first time;

cleaning the substrate to remove residue from the substrate, the residue being produced in the first etching chamber; and

wet-etching the substrate a second time.

8. The wet-etching process as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first wet-etching comprises pre-etching and etching.

9. The wet-etching process as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second wet-etching is over-etching.

10. The wet-etching process as claimed in claim 7, further comprising rinsing the substrate after etching the substrate a second time.

11. The wet-etching process as claimed in claim 10, further comprising drying the substrate after rinsing the substrate.

12. The wet-etching process as claimed in claim 7, wherein a high-pressure water column is used to clean the substrate.

13. The wet-etching process as claimed in claim 7, wherein a high-pressure water column and a high-density spray are used to rinse the substrate.