MEMC ETCH - A CHROMIUM TRIOXIDE-FREE ETCHANT FOR DELINEATING DISLOCATIONS AND SLIP IN SILICON

This paper describes a new etching formula (MEMC etch) which does not employ chromium trioxide and generates no hazardous waste. MEMC etch is a copper nitrate-based etchant that has proven useful for essentially all p and n-type silicon production. The etchant displays a long lifetime without excessive solution heating, easily interpreted pits on (111), (100), and (511) surfaces, and the formula yields a planar etch rate similar to Sirtl etch. The MEMC formula can be used as a substitute for Sirtl or Wright etch in most applications which require screening material for dislocations and slip. © 1990, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.