Materials Tech Pulse

As advanced packaging technology develops rapidly and semiconductor device dimensions continue to shrink, etching processes face increasingly stringent requirements for precision, yield, and process efficiency. Traditional etching workflows often require sequential use of different chemical solutions to treat different metals, which not only increases process complexity but also raises the cost of process management and equipment configuration.

LCYAM's multifunctional Etchant, developed through an innovative formulation design, uses a single chemical solution to etch multiple metal materials, including copper and tin-silver alloys, while maintaining high selectivity, high stability, and long shelf life. In addition to helping customers simplify their processes and reduce management costs, the product has successfully raised product yield to 99%, resolving existing process bottlenecks and improving both yield and overall process stability.

Advanced Packaging Process Upgrades: High Selectivity and Process Stability Become Key Challenges

As semiconductor advanced packaging technology continues to evolve, chip structures are becoming increasingly precise. Etching processes must not only rapidly remove target metals but also precisely control the etched area to avoid affecting other metal layers, placing higher performance demands on etching solutions.

In current processes, chip structures consist of copper pillars, a titanium layer, and metal pads. During etching, the copper pillar must be completely removed while the titanium layer in between remains undamaged. If the titanium layer is corroded, the etching solution may further damage the underlying metal pad, causing the entire chip to fail and the product to be scrapped. As a result, high selectivity has become one of the most critical technical indicators in the etching process.

In addition, as device dimensions continue to shrink, etch rate must be controlled with greater precision to avoid overetching or underetching, either of which can compromise product quality. The customer had previously tried etching solutions from other brands, but the process was prone to issues such as bubbling and fuming, and final yield consistently fell short of requirements. As a result, the customer turned to LCYAM for help developing a new solution.

AI-Driven Formulation Design Combined with Thermodynamic Analysis Delivers a Single-Formula, Multifunctional Etching Solution

Observing market demand for a single chemical solution capable of etching multiple metals, LCYAM began with formulation design, using an internal AI-powered literature search tool to rapidly gather research data. The team also applied thermodynamic analysis tools to study the reaction characteristics of different metals under various pH conditions, quickly narrowing down suitable formulation compositions.

In addition, LCYAM incorporated Design of Experiments (DOE) statistical analysis throughout the R&D process to optimize formulation ratios, balancing etching efficiency, high selectivity, and process stability while preventing damage to the titanium layer and underlying metal pad during etching.

During formulation design, LCYAM deliberately excluded hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which is prone to degradation and can compromise solution stability. Instead, by adjusting pH conditions, a single formulation was able to effectively remove different metal materials.

LCYAM's Multifunctional Etchant: Balancing High Selectivity, Process Efficiency, and Long-Term Stability

The key advantage of LCYAM's multifunctional Etchant is its ability to etch multiple metal materials, including copper and tin-silver alloys, using a single chemical solution — eliminating the need to sequentially switch between different etching solutions and significantly simplifying the process flow.

Compared to common products on the market, this product features a single-component, peroxide-free design with a longer shelf life, avoiding the scenario in which hydrogen peroxide degradation renders an entire tank of solution unusable. It also eliminates the need for point-of-use (POU) chemical blending, in-line dosing, or a second solution tank, substantially reducing the burden of chemical management and equipment maintenance.

In addition, the product offers good stability and can be reused within equipment. Compared to traditional peroxide-based products that require frequent solution replacement, it reduces both chemical consumption and waste liquid generation, helping to lower manufacturing costs and product carbon footprint while balancing cost-effectiveness with sustainability.

Beyond its multifunctional product, LCYAM also offers highly customized formulation development capabilities, tailoring formulation design and parameters based on each customer's material composition, product structure, etching targets, and actual process conditions. To meet varying customer requirements for etch rate, selectivity, and process stability, LCYAM co-optimizes formulation composition and process conditions to deliver solutions that closely match actual production line needs.

For example, for single-metal etching needs, LCYAM can develop highly selective etching solutions. For customers facing challenges such as multiple coexisting metals, materials that require protection, or insufficient yield and stability in existing processes, LCYAM can adjust formulations based on actual process requirements, helping customers establish etching solutions better suited to their product structures and process conditions.

As a result, beyond supplying chemicals with standard specifications, LCYAM starts from customers' actual process challenges, using customized formulation development and integrated process conditions to help resolve etching challenges across a range of application scenarios.

Yield Raised to 99%: Building a More Stable Etching Process

After adopting LCYAM's multifunctional Etchant, the customer successfully resolved a previously unsolvable process bottleneck, raising product test yield to 99%.

At the same time, the single-component design streamlined the overall process, eliminating the need to switch between different chemical solutions, set up multiple solution tanks, or perform in-line chemical mixing. This effectively reduced equipment changeover time, monitoring requirements, and chemical management workload, further lowering the product scrap rate and overall manufacturing costs.

In terms of day-to-day management, the customer also reported that the single-component product eliminates the need to calculate point-of-use (POU) blending ratios or continuously monitor for hydrogen peroxide degradation — inventory can simply be replenished as needed, significantly improving operational convenience and inventory management efficiency.

Application Scenarios

●       Advanced packaging

●       UBM (Under Bump Metallization) etching processes

●       High-selectivity metal etching processes

●       Customized semiconductor etching solutions

From Customized Chemicals to Total Solutions: Delivering Complete Etching Process Solutions

As advanced packaging and high-density interconnect technologies continue to develop, market requirements for etching processes have expanded beyond single-material performance to encompass process efficiency, yield stability, and overall process integration capability. Through its single-component design, high-selectivity formulation, and stable performance, LCYAM's multifunctional Etchant has successfully helped customers improve yield, simplify workflows, and reduce overall manufacturing costs.

Beyond chemical development, LCYAM also offers Total Solution capabilities, integrating suitable chemicals and complementary process steps based on each customer's product structure, material properties, and process requirements to help establish complete, operationally flexible process conditions. This provides a more comprehensive etching process solution, helping customers shorten development and validation time, improve process stability, and address the increasingly complex technical challenges of advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

If you are looking for an etching solution that combines high selectivity, process stability, and management convenience, we invite you to connect with LCYAM to build more efficient, more competitive semiconductor processes together.

For more product information or to discuss technical collaboration, please contact us at: https://www.lcycic.com/en/contact-us