Ablith – The Next Evolution in SiO₂ Etching

Imagine being able to precisely etch away silicon oxides without having to go through tedious and expensive photoresist masking steps.

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Ablith is our innovative solution that turns this vision into a reality. Our smart compound is able to generate and release etching chemicals precisely where UV photons are interacting with it.

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Ablith is more than just a product – it’s a time saving solution that empowers you to push the boundaries of your production environment.

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What Ablith Does: 

• In Situ Generation of HF – The active etching compound is comprised of hydrofluoric acid. But in contrast to traditional wet etching the HF is only generated in small amounts and only when and where it is needed. This removes the need to store large amounts of this chemical.

• Maskless Etching – Ablith removes the need for time consuming and therefore expensive photoresist masking. Simply spin coat Absilian onto your wafer and shine the UV pattern through a mask aligner or stepper, and our compound will activate itself along the pattern and perform precision etching of the underlying oxide.

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Typical Ablith Process Flow

• Coat – Spin-coat Ablith onto a clean wafer.

• Drying – Harden the solution by placing the wafer on a hot plate.

• Align & Expose – Perform lithography onto the coating with a 365 nm i-line UV source.

• Etch – The Ablith solution will activate itself and release the active chemicals along the pattern, the underlying oxides will then be etched away.

• Rinse – Remove the unreacted Ablith solution with the help of standard acetone.

 

What This Means:

• Save Time – Manufacture more high value semiconductor devices with the same equipment and infrastructure you have in place today. Boosting revenue and ROI for your stakeholders.

• Less Waste – Photoresists are a crucial chemical for your foundry operations, waste less of this valuable resource by removing the need to use it for wet etching steps.

• A Safer Environment – Because the generation of HF acids are only generated locally and in small amounts, you won't need to store HF into large quantities anymore. This creates a safer and more pleasant environment to work in.

 

Join us as we lead the charge into a future where semiconductor manufacturing is smarter, simpler, and more adaptable than ever before.