Product

Corial developed a new-generation 200 mm ICP-RIE etching machine. The machine will give the company's current and future customers access to a broader range of materials etching processes, including deep etching (> 100 µm) of hard materials. Deep silicon etching (cryogenic or Bosch) has become a crucial step in the production of MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems), integrated optics, and system-level packaging. The primary challenge is to deeply etch materials just microns thick while maintaining a vertical etch profile, good etching uniformity, and a high aspect ratio. The ability to obtain these kinds of structures on hard materials like glass, silicon carbide, sapphire, and lithium niobate could open the door to new opportunities in MEMS, packaging, and power semiconductor devices. Corial improved its etching machine by adding more powerful ICP and RF sources, a removable liner, a more efficient pump set, and a more effective substrate cooling system. The upgrades made to the ICP-RIE machine, combined with in-house R&D know-how, resulted in the development of rapid deep etching processes for hard materials that respond to market needs.

L'histoire du produit

Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) was a revolution that spurred exponential growth for silicon-based MEMS. These technologies are now pervasive. However, DRIE is difficult to use effectively on materials other than silicon and today many industries make components on non-silicon substrates. The purpose of the HMDE project was to develop solutions for the deep etching of "hard" materials (glass, ceramic, crystal) for new components for the watchmaking and telecommunications industries. The project provided Corial with a unique opportunity to: * Form a strategic partnership with Leti * Develop deep etching technologies leveraging access to Leti's technology portfolio (substrates, masks, characterization equipment) and obtain a tangible, factual performance assessment of Corial's machines * Validate the technologies developed through testing with end users * Gain new technical knowledge (processes) * Develop new products (machines)