KR100855541B1 - Method and apparatus of etching a substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for etching a substrate are disclosed. First, the substrate is etched by dipping the substrate in the bath containing the etchant. Then, by forming a vortex in the etching solution to provide an etching solution having the vortex to the substrate to control the etching state of the substrate. Here, the etching solution is stirred in a predetermined direction to form a vortex in the etching solution to provide an etching solution having a vortex to the substrate to control the etching state of the substrate. Therefore, the etching process using the etchant with the vortex allows uniform etching while sufficiently reducing the effects of the reaction by-products.

Description

Etching method and apparatus of a substrate {Method and apparatus of etching a substrate}

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate etching apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of forming an etching liquid having a vortex using the vortex forming unit included in the substrate etching apparatus of FIG. 1.

4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method of performing etching for thinning using the substrate etching apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method of performing etching for patterning using the substrate etching apparatus of FIG. 1.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

10 bath 12 substrate

15: vortex forming unit 16: circulation line

18 filter 20 buffer tank

22: pump

The present invention relates to a substrate etching method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for etching a substrate, such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate.

In general, in the fabrication of integrated circuit devices such as semiconductor memory devices and flat panel display devices, etching processes for thinning and patterning are performed. That is, in the fabrication of integrated circuit devices, an etching process such as thinning to reduce the thickness of a semiconductor substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor memory device or a glass substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display device, or patterning for forming a set pattern structure is performed. .

Specifically, the etching process for the implementation of the thin plate is achieved mainly by performing chemical mechanical polishing, wet etching, etc., the etching process for the implementation of the patterning is mainly achieved by performing wet etching and the like.

However, it is not preferable to perform the chemical mechanical polishing to implement the thinning because the surface state of the obtained substrate is not good.

However, in the case of implementing the thin plate by performing chemical mechanical polishing, the process is performed in the unit of a sheet, and the productivity is not good because the process speed of the thin plate is significantly slowed. In addition, when the thin etching is performed by performing wet etching, it is not preferable because uniform etching is not performed on the whole surface of the substrate. In addition, when the wet etching is performed to implement the patterning, a situation in which reaction by-products and the like are adsorbed on the surface of the substrate where the patterning occurs frequently is not preferable.

Thus, in the wet etching for thinning or patterning, a bubble method, a spray method, and the like are performed in parallel.

First, the bubble wet etching is to bubble an etching solution using nitrogen, air, and the like, and as described above, a uniform etching of the entire surface of the substrate is achieved by providing the bubbled etching solution. In this case, it may be possible to provide the bubbling etchant on the entire surface of the substrate in the case of a substrate having a small diameter or an area, but it is somewhat unreasonable in the case of a substrate having a rather large diameter or an area. Therefore, even when performing a bubble wet etching, there is a problem that uniform etching of the entire surface of the substrate is not achieved. In addition, in the bubble wet etching, a situation in which wave marks are frequently generated on the surface of the substrate on which etching occurs due to the bubble itself may occur.

In addition, the spray type wet etching sprays the etching solution directly onto the substrate itself using a nozzle, a knife, or the like, and prevents the reaction by-products from adsorbing onto the substrate surface by spraying the etching solution as mentioned above. However, when the circulating etchant is sprayed through a nozzle, a knife, or the like, the reaction by-products themselves frequently block the injection holes of the nozzle, the knife, and the like, which is not preferable. In addition, when the injection pressure is increased as a part of solving the situation in which the reaction by-product itself blocks the injection holes of the nozzle and the knife, it is not preferable because it damages the substrate itself. Therefore, there is a problem in that even if the spray-type wet etching is performed, uniform etching or set patterning on the entire surface of the substrate is not easily achieved.

In addition, in the spray wet etching, a situation in which the marks of the sprayed etching liquid, that is, the marks of the radiation shape are transferred to the substrate surface frequently occurs. In addition, since the device includes a member such as a nozzle, a knife, etc., a sufficient space for etching is required, and as a result, it is practically difficult to perform the process on a plurality of substrates.

It is a first object of the present invention to provide a substrate etching method capable of uniform etching while sufficiently reducing the influence of reaction by-products.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a substrate etching apparatus which can easily perform the substrate etching method mentioned above.

In the etching method of the substrate according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention for achieving the first object, the substrate is etched by dipping the substrate in a bath containing an etchant. Then, by forming a vortex in the etching solution to provide an etching solution having the vortex to the substrate to control the etching state of the substrate.

Here, the vortex is preferably formed by stirring the etchant in a predetermined direction in the bath in a state in which the dip substrate is fixed inside the bath, and the etching solution is formed at a portion facing the substrate etching surface in the fixed state. It is more preferable to form by stirring in a fixed direction, it is more preferable to stir and form the etching liquid up, down or left and right with respect to the substrate etching surface at a portion facing the substrate etching surface in the fixed state. .

In addition, the vortex is preferably formed on the whole surface of the substrate.

In addition, the substrate may include a glass substrate, and the etchant may include hydrofluoric acid, a fluoride salt, or a mixture thereof, and more preferably, sulfuric acid, a surfactant, or a mixture thereof.

In addition, the vortex may be a Karman vortex in which the vortices in opposite directions alternate with each other at the rear end of the object having the bar structure by stirring the object having the bar structure in a predetermined direction in the etchant.

Etching apparatus of a substrate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for achieving the second object and the etching liquid having a vortex to the substrate by forming a vortex in the etching solution by stirring the etchant in a predetermined direction It provides a vortex forming portion for controlling the etching state of the substrate.

Here, the vortex forming unit is installed in a portion facing the substrate etching surface so as not to contact the substrate, it is preferable to include a bar (movable) to move up, down, left, right with respect to the substrate etching surface, The bar may further include a driving unit connected to the bar and providing a driving force to the bar to move up, down, left, or right with respect to the substrate etching surface.

In addition, the bath preferably includes an inner-bath containing the etchant and an outer-bath containing the etchant overflowing from the inner-bath. In particular, when the bath comprises the inner-bath and outer-bath, it is more preferable to include a circulation line for circulating the etchant from the outer-bath to the inner-bath. In this case, it is preferable that the circulation line is provided with a filter for filtering the reaction-by-products included in the etching solution in which the circulation is performed, a buffer tank for temporarily storing the etching solution, and a pump for pumping the forced circulation of the etching solution. .

In addition, when a plurality of substrates are dipped in the bath, it is preferable that the vortex forming portion is positioned between the plurality of substrates. And, when the vortex forming portion is located between each of the plurality of substrates, the vortex forming portion has a structure in which each of the vortex forming portion is connected to each other, simultaneously moving up, down, left, and right of the plurality of substrates with respect to the substrate etching surface It is desirable to provide an etchant having a vortex in each of the substrates.

In addition, the vortex is preferably formed on the entire surface of the substrate.

The substrate may include a glass substrate, and the etchant may include hydrofluoric acid, a fluoride salt, or a mixture thereof, and more preferably include sulfuric acid, a surfactant, or a mixture thereof.

Thus, according to the substrate etching method and apparatus of the present invention is formed to have a vortex in the etchant contained in the bath to provide it as a substrate etching surface. Therefore, applying the substrate etching method and apparatus of the present invention to an etching process such as an integrated circuit device enables uniform etching while sufficiently reducing the effects of reaction by-products.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosed subject matter is thorough and complete, and that the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art will fully convey. Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but it may be understood that other components may be present in between. Should be. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "immediately between," or "neighboring to," and "directly neighboring to" should be interpreted as well. In the drawings, the substrate, the bath, the vortex forming unit and the like are somewhat exaggerated for clarity.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus for performing wet etching mainly is shown as a substrate etching apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In detail, the substrate etching apparatus 100 includes a bath 10 containing an etchant for etching the substrate 12. The substrate 12 includes a semiconductor substrate for manufacturing with a semiconductor memory element, a glass substrate for manufacturing with a flat panel display element, and the like. However, in one embodiment of the present invention, an example of the substrate 12 is a glass substrate for manufacturing into a flat panel display element. In addition, the etching process for the substrate 12 using the substrate etching apparatus 100 may include both an etching process for thinning and an etching process for patterning.

Therefore, hydrofluoric acid, a fluoride salt, etc. are mentioned as an example of the etching liquid in one Example of this invention. These may be used alone or in combination. In addition, the etchant mentioned may further include sulfuric acid, a surfactant and the like. These may also be used alone or in combination. That is, in one embodiment of the present invention, hydrofluoric acid, fluoride salts, mixtures thereof, and the like are used as main etching solutions, and sulfuric acid, surfactants, mixtures thereof, and the like are used as auxiliary etching solutions.

In the etching of the substrate 12 using the substrate etching apparatus 100 mentioned above, the etching solution contained in the bath 10 is selected in such a manner as to overflow the etching liquid. This is to facilitate a smooth circulation of the etchant contained in the bath 10 when etching the substrate. Therefore, the bath 10 is formed so as to surround the upper side of the inner-bath 10a containing the etchant, and the outer-bath containing the etching liquid overflowed from the inner-bath 10a. (10b).

In addition, the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vortex forming unit 15 for forming a vortex in the etching liquid by stirring the etching liquid contained in the bath 10 in a predetermined direction.

Specifically, the vortex forming unit 15 is provided at a portion facing the etching surface of the substrate 12 dipped in the etching liquid. The vortex forming unit 15 is formed to be movable up, down, left, or right with respect to the etching surface of the substrate 12. That is, the vortex forming unit 15 forms vortices in the etchant by stirring the etchant in the up and down directions or the left and right directions based on the etching surface of the substrate 12.

In particular, in one embodiment of the present invention, the vortex forming unit 15 is installed to be able to move up and down based on the etching surface of the substrate 12. In addition, the vortex forming unit which may move left and right with respect to the etching surface of the substrate 12 will be described later. However, when the vortex forming unit 15 contacts the substrate 12 when the etch solution is stirred in a predetermined direction, the substrate 12 itself may be damaged. Therefore, it is preferable that the vortex forming portion 15 is provided so as not to contact the substrate 12. In this case, when the vortex forming unit 15 is installed to have a distance of less than about 1 mm from the substrate 12, the vortex forming unit 15 may be in contact with the substrate 12 by the movement of the vortex forming unit 15. In addition, when the substrate 12 is provided to have a distance exceeding about 20 mm, it is not preferable because the characteristics of the vortex in the etchant are lowered. Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the vortex forming portion 15 is provided to have a distance of about 1 to 20 mm from the substrate 12, and more preferably, to have a distance of about 3 to 10 mm.

In addition, the vortex forming part 15 mentioned above is installed to move up and down in a state where the substrate 12 is fixed. That is, instead of stirring the etchant as the substrate 12 itself moves to form vortices, the vortex forming unit 15 itself etches the etchant in a fixed direction while the substrate 12 is fixed, that is, the etching surface of the substrate 12. Stir in up and down directions to form a vortex. This is because when the substrate 12 itself moves, it damages the substrate 12 itself. In particular, when the substrate 12 itself having a relatively large diameter or large area is moved to form an etched solution having a vortex, Because it causes damage.

In addition, the vortex forming unit 15 targets the whole surface of the substrate 12 when it moves up, down, left, or right with respect to the etching surface of the substrate 12. That is, it moves from one end of the substrate 12 to the other end of the substrate 12. This is to provide an etchant having a vortex with respect to the entire surface of the substrate 12.

Thus, the vortex forming unit 15 preferably includes a bar 13a capable of stirring the etching liquid by moving up and down based on the etching surface of the substrate 12. However, when the vortex forming unit 15 is provided with the bar 13a alone, and it is artificially moved, it is not preferable because it does not provide a continuous and constant speed movement. Therefore, the vortex forming part 15 further includes a driving part 14a connected to the bar 13a mentioned above and providing a driving force to the bar 13a to move up and down based on the etching surface of the substrate 12. do. Here, the driving unit 14a may include an air cylinder, a motor, and the like to which gears, pulleys, and the like are connected.

In addition, the bar 13a in the vortex forming unit 15 mentioned above may have various shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, a hexagon, and the like if the movement of the bar 13a is not limited to stirring the etchant.

In addition, the vortex forming unit 15 is installed to face the etching surface of the substrate 12. When the plurality of substrates 12 are dipped in the bath 10, the vortex forming unit 15 is positioned between the plurality of substrates 12. It is desirable to install. That is, as shown in Figure 1 is provided so as to be located between each of the plurality of substrates (12). However, the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the number of substrates 12 that are dipped in the bath 10. That is, if the number of substrates 12 to be dipped is determined according to the capacity of the bath 10, and the number of the vortex forming units 15 is determined based on the number of the substrates 12, there will be no difference.

And, as mentioned, the vortex forming unit 15 is installed so as to be located between each of the plurality of substrates 12 so that the bars 13a as the vortex forming unit 15 are placed between the substrates 12. Will be. In addition, even if each of the bars 13a are installed to be located between the substrates 12, the driving unit 14a is preferably provided in a single structure. That is, in the vortex forming part 15, the bars 13a are connected to the driving part 14a having a unitary structure even when the bars 13a are disposed between the substrates 12. Therefore, even though the bars 13a are provided so as to be located between the substrates 12, the bars 13a move in the same way as a whole. However, even when the bars 13a in the vortex forming unit 15 are connected to the driving units 14a, each of which is provided respectively, it is possible to stir the etchant in a constant direction to form a vortex. However, when each of the bars 13a is connected to the driving unit 14a, which is provided in each case, it is not preferable because the apparatus configuration is somewhat complicated.

In addition, although not shown, when the substrate 12 is dipped in the etchant contained in the bath 10, the substrate is mainly positioned vertically. At this time, the substrate 12 to be dipped in the etchant contained in the bath 10 is composed of a plurality of sheets. In other words, the dipping of the substrate 12 mentioned above is performed in a cassette unit in which a plurality of substrates 12 are stacked, not a single unit. Therefore, the dipping of the substrate 12 mentioned above mainly consists of 25 or 50 sheets. In addition, when dipping the substrate 12 in a single unit, a slit capable of accommodating the substrate 12 may be provided on the bottom of the bath 10.

As such, the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment includes a vortex forming unit 15 including a bar 13a and a driving unit 14a. Therefore, the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a continuous and constant speed movement to the etching liquid and stirs the etching liquid in a predetermined direction to etch the etching liquid having the vortex inside the bath 10, that is, the etching liquid. It may be provided to the substrate 12 immersed in.

In addition, the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a circulation line 16 for circulating the etching liquid from the outer-bath 10b to the inner-bath 10a. This is to facilitate reuse of the etchant, thereby securing price competitiveness in etching the substrate 12 using the substrate etching apparatus 100. As mentioned above, when the substrate etching apparatus 100 further includes a circulation line 16, the circulation line 16 includes a filter 18 for filtering the etching solution in which the circulation is performed, and a buffer for temporarily storing the etching solution in which the circulation is performed. Preferably, the tank 20 and a pump 22 for performing pumping for forcibly circulating the etchant are installed. The filter 18 is installed to remove reaction by-products remaining in the circulating etchant, and the buffer tank 20 is installed to appropriately adjust the flow rate of the etched solution, which is circulated, and the pump 22. In this case, it is installed to facilitate the circulation of the etchant. In particular, it is preferable that each of the filter 18, the buffer tank 20, and the pump 22 are sequentially installed based on the circulation of the etchant. However, each of the filter 18, the buffer tank 20 and the pump 22 is not limited to the installation order.

As such, the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention stirs the etchant in a predetermined direction to form an etchant having a vortex, and provides the substrate 12 by dipping the etchant into the bath 10. Etch 12). In particular, since the vortex is formed on the entire etching solution, an etching solution having a uniform vortex on the entire surface of the substrate 12 may be provided. Therefore, when the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, more uniform etching is possible on the entire surface of the substrate 12, and the reaction by-products are adsorbed on the surface of the substrate 12 itself. Can be sufficiently reduced.

The substrate etching apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which the vortex forming unit 15 moves up and down based on the etching surface of the substrate 12. However, the substrate etching apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a vortex forming unit 15 having a structure moving left and right with respect to the etching surface of the substrate 12 as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the vortex forming unit 15 included in the substrate etching apparatus 200 of FIG. 2 is left and right (front and rear directions when referring to the front surface of FIG. 2) based on the etching surface of the substrate 12. It has a moving structure. In addition, the vortex forming unit 15 of the substrate etching apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention also includes a bar 13b and a driving unit 14b. In addition, the substrate etching apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention mentioned above is the same as the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention except for the direction in which the vortex forming unit 15 moves. Since the structure has a duplicate description, it will be omitted.

In addition, the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which the substrate 12 is vertically dipped in the bath 10. However, although not shown, the substrate etching apparatus according to another embodiment may have a structure for dipping the substrate in the bath in the horizontal direction. However, in this case, it is not preferable to move the vortex forming part up and down because it overlaps with the substrate dipped in the bath. Therefore, when the substrate is dipped into the bath in the horizontal direction as in the substrate etching apparatus according to another embodiment, it is preferable that the vortex forming unit moves to the left and the right.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the substrate etching apparatus 100 or 200 forms an etchant having a vortex when performing the etching on the substrate 12, and the etching surface of the substrate 12 is formed. To provide. In particular, the vortex forming unit 15 is used to provide an etching liquid having a vortex on the entire surface of the substrate 12. Therefore, when the etching of the substrate 12 is performed using the substrate etching apparatus 100 or 200 according to the embodiments of the present invention mentioned above, an overall uniform etching is possible and the substrate is provided by providing the vortex. (12) Adsorption of reaction byproducts by etching on the surface can be sufficiently reduced.

Hereinafter, a method of etching the substrate 12 using the substrate etching apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, a bath 10 in which an etchant is accommodated is prepared. Here, the etchant varies depending on the type of the substrate 12, which is the object to be dipped in the bath 10. However, according to one embodiment of the present invention as mentioned above, when the substrate 12, which is the object to be dipped in the bath 10, is limited to the glass substrate, the etchant may include hydrofluoric acid, fluoride salt, and the like. These may be used alone or in combination. In addition, the etchant mentioned may further include sulfuric acid, a surfactant and the like. These may also be used alone or in combination.

At this time, the etching solution accommodated in the bath 10 is not preferable because the efficiency of the etching is lowered if the temperature is less than about 20 ℃, it is not preferable because the process control such as the etching rate is not easy if it exceeds about 50 ℃ not. Therefore, the etchant contained in the bath 10 is adjusted to have a temperature of about 20 to 50 ° C.

As described above, after the bath 10 containing the etching solution is provided, the substrate 12 is dipped. Then, etching is performed on the substrate 12. The substrate 12 dipped in the bath 10 is not limited to the number of sheets. That is, the number of sheets 12 to be dipped in the bath 10 may be determined by the capacity of the bath 10, process conditions, and the like. However, as mentioned, the number of sheets 12 to be dipped in the bath 10 is preferably determined mainly in cassette units.

However, when the substrate 12 is etched by the method of dipping the substrate 12 in the bath 10 containing the etchant as described above, not only the uniformity according to the etching is secured but also the substrate on which the etching is performed. (12) It often happens that the reaction by-products on the surface are not sufficiently prevented from adsorbing.

Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, the vortex is formed in the etchant using the vortex forming unit 15 mentioned above.

Specifically, the bar 13a of the vortex forming unit 15 connected to the driving unit 14a is moved using the driving unit 14a of the vortex forming unit 15. At this time, the bar 13a moves to stir the etchant in a constant direction as mentioned. In particular, the vortex forming unit 15 moves to stir the etching liquid in a predetermined direction at a portion of the vortex forming portion 15 facing the etching surface of the substrate 12 dipped in the bath 10. In addition, a predetermined direction in which the vortex forming unit 15 for forming the vortex mentioned above moves up, down, or left and right with respect to the etching surface of the substrate 12, and in one embodiment of the present invention, As an example, the down direction is taken. However, as another embodiment of the present invention, the left and right directions may be exemplified. In addition, the movement of the vortex forming unit 15 for forming the vortex is directed to the entire surface of the substrate 12 from one side of the substrate 12 to the other side of the substrate 12.

Here, the vortices formed using the vortex forming unit 15 are opposite to each other at the rear end of the vortex forming unit 16 by stirring the vortex forming unit 15 in a predetermined direction in the etching liquid as shown in FIG. 3. Alternating vortices in the direction appear to contain Karman vortices regularly arranged in two rows.

In addition, if the vortex forming unit 15 is less than about 10 mm / sec at the time of stirring the etchant, the vortex forming unit 15 is not preferable because sufficient vortex cannot be formed in the etchant. It is not preferable because it is excessively applied to itself and can cause damage to the substrate on which the etching is performed due to the rapid flow of the etching liquid having the vortex, and even cause wave pattern or the like. Therefore, the speed at which the vortex forming unit 15 moves in etching according to an embodiment of the present invention is preferably about 10 to 1,000 mm / sec, more preferably about 10 to 200 mm / sec, and about 50 to 150 mm It is more preferable that it is / sec.

As described above, the etching liquid is stirred using the vortex forming unit 15 in a predetermined direction to form a vortex in the etching liquid, and the substrate 12 is provided as an etching surface. Then, the etching state of the substrate 12 which is dipped into the bath 10 and etched is sufficiently controlled. That is, when performing etching on the substrate 12 by dipping the substrate 12 in the bath 10 containing the etchant, the vortex forming unit 15 is used to have the vortex in the etchant, thereby not only etching but also etching. Due to this, the reaction by-products generated on the surface of the substrate 12 may be sufficiently reduced. In other words, by forming a vortex in the etchant and providing the substrate 12, the etching state of the substrate 12 which is dipped into the bath 10 to be etched to sufficiently control the etching state, such as the prevention of adsorption of reaction byproducts, etc. will be.

In addition, in the etching of the substrate 12 mentioned above, the etching liquid continuously overflows and circulates. Thus, the etchant overflows from the inner-bath 10a to the outer-bath 10b and is circulated back to the inner-bath 10a through the circulation line 16 connected with the outer-bath 10b. In particular, in the circulation of the etchant, reaction by-products included in the etchant are filtered by the filter 18, and the flow rate of the etchant in the buffer tank 20 is appropriately adjusted. In addition, since the pump 22 is used, the etching liquid is easily circulated.

As mentioned, in the etching of the substrate 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 12 is not simply dipped into the bath 10 in which the etching liquid is contained. By forming the vortex and using the same for etching the substrate 12, the etching state according to the etching of the substrate 12 may be sufficiently controlled.

In particular, the etching of the substrate 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention applies to both the front surface etching of the substrate 12 for thinning shown in FIG. 4 and the partial etching of the substrate 12 for patterning shown in FIG. 5. can do.

According to the substrate etching method and apparatus of the present invention is formed to have a vortex in the etching liquid contained in the bath, and used for etching the substrate. Therefore, applying the substrate etching method and apparatus of the present invention to the etching process enables uniform etching while sufficiently reducing the effects of the reaction by-products.

Therefore, the method and apparatus of the present invention can be expected to improve both productivity and reliability according to the etching process.

As described above, although described with reference to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art various modifications and variations of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims below It will be appreciated that it can be changed.

Claims (17)

Etching the substrate by dipping the substrate in a bath containing an etchant; And The object having the bar structure is stirred in the etching liquid in a predetermined direction, and vortices in opposite directions alternate with each other at the rear end of the object having the bar structure to form a vortex, which is a Karman vortex regularly arranged in two rows, and the vortex to the substrate. Etching the substrate comprising the step of adjusting the etching state of the substrate by providing an etchant having. delete delete delete The method of claim 1, wherein the vortex is formed on the whole surface of the substrate. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a glass substrate, and the etchant comprises hydrofluoric acid, a fluoride salt, or a mixture thereof. The method of claim 6, wherein the etchant further comprises sulfuric acid, a surfactant, or a mixture thereof. delete Baths containing etchant; And A bar which is installed at a portion facing the substrate etching surface so as not to contact the substrate, and stirs the etching liquid to the upper, lower, left, and right sides with respect to the substrate etching surface to form a vortex in the etching liquid. And a vortex forming unit for providing an etching liquid having the vortex to the substrate to control an etching state of the substrate. delete The substrate etching method of claim 9, wherein the vortex forming part further comprises a driving part connected to the bar and providing a driving force to the bar to move up, down, left, or right with respect to the substrate etching surface. Device. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vortex is formed on the whole surface of the substrate. The method of claim 9, wherein the bath comprises an inner-bath for receiving the etchant and an outer-bath for receiving an etchant overflowing from the inner-bath, If the bath comprises the inner-bath and the outer-bath, A circulation line for circulating the etchant from the outer-bath to the inner-bath; The substrate is characterized in that the circulation line is provided with a filter for filtering the reaction-by-products included in the etching solution to the circulation, a buffer tank for temporarily storing the etching liquid and a pump for pumping for forcibly circulating the etching liquid is installed Etching device. The method of claim 9, wherein when a plurality of substrates are dipped in the bath, And the vortex forming portion is located between every plurality of substrates. The method according to claim 14, wherein when the vortex forming portion is located between every of the plurality of substrates, The vortex forming part has a structure in which each of them is connected to each other, and simultaneously moves up, down, left, and right with respect to the substrate etching surface to provide an etchant having vortex to each of the plurality of substrates. Device. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the substrate comprises a glass substrate, and the etchant comprises hydrofluoric acid, a fluoride salt, or a mixture thereof. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the etchant further comprises sulfuric acid, a surfactant, or a mixture thereof.

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