Specific Process Knowledge/Etch/Etching of Titanium

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Etching of Chromium

Etching of chromium can be done either by wet etch, dry etch or by sputtering with ions.


Comparison of Aluminium Etch Metodes

Cr wet etch 1 Cr wet etch 2 ICP metal IBE (Ionfab300+)
Generel description Wet etch of Cr that you need to mix your self Wet etch of Cr premixed Dry plasma etch of Cr Sputtering of Cr - pure physical etch
Etch rate range
  • ~40-100nm/min
  • ~?nm/min
  • ~14 nm/min (depending on features size and etch load)
  • ~30nm/min (not tested yet)
Etch profile
  • Isotropic
  • Isotropic
  • Anisotropic (vertical sidewalls)
  • Anisotropic (angles sidewalls, typical around 70 dg)
Substrate size
  • Any size and number that can go inside the beaker in use
  • Any size and number that can go inside the beaker in use
  • smaller pieces on a carrier wafer
  • #1 100mm wafers (when set up to 100mm wafers)
  • #1 150mm wafers (when set up to 150mm wafers)

Smaller pieces glued to carrier wafer

  • #1 50mm wafer
  • #1 100mm wafer
  • #1 150mm wafer
  • #1 200mm wafer
Allowed materials

No restrictions cross contamination wise as long as you use the right beaker and make sure that they are safe to enter in the chemicals

No restrictions cross contamination wise as long as you use the right beaker and make sure that they are safe to enter in the chemicals

  • Silicon
  • Quartz/fused silica
  • Photoresist/e-beam resist
  • PolySilicon,
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Aluminium
  • Titanium
  • Chromium
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxides
  • Silicon nitrides
  • Metals from the +list
  • Metals from the -list
  • Alloys from the above list
  • Stainless steel
  • Glass
  • III-V materials
  • Resists
  • Polymers
  • Capton tape



Ething of Titanium can be done either wet or dry. For wet etching please see below on this page. Dry etching can be done either with ICP using Chlorine chemistry or with IBE by sputtering with Ar ions.


Wet etching of Titanium

Fume hood: positioned in cleanroom 2.
Wet Etch of Titanium can take place in this pp tank or in a beaker in this fume hood

We have two solutions for wet titanium etching:

  1. BHF
  2. Cold RCA1

Do it by making your own set up in a beaker in a fume hood - preferably in cleanroom 2 or 4. BHF etching can also take place in the PP-etch bath in the fume hood in cleanroom 2.


Comparing the two solutions

BHF Cold RCA1
General description Etch of titanium with or without photoresist mask. Etch of titanium (as stripper or with eagle resist).
Chemical solution HF:NH4F NH3OH:H2O2:H2O - 1:1:5
Process temperature Room temperature Room temperature
Possible masking materials

Photoresist (1.5 µm AZ5214E)

Eagle resist

Etch rate

Not known (it bubbles while etching)

Not known

Batch size

1-5 4" in beaker 1-25 wafers at a time in PP-etch bath

1-5 4" wafer at a time

Etch bath Beaker or PP-etch bath in the fume hood in cleanroom 2. Beaker
Allowed materials

No restrictions when used in beaker or PP-etch bath in the fume hood in cleanroom 2. Make a note on the beaker of which materials have been processed.

No restrictions when used in beaker. Make a note on the beaker of which materials have been processed.

Dry etching of titanium

See the ICP Metal Etch page.