Patent ID: 6683007
Filing Date: 2004-01-27
Classification: B08B,C23F,C23G,H01L

Abstract:
An etching method comprising the steps of:(a) rotating a semiconductor wafer in a horizontal plane; said wafer having a device area, an end face and a surface peripheral area on its surface; said surface peripheral area being located outside said device area and between the device area and the end face; and (b) emitting an etching liquid toward a surface peripheral area of said wafer by an edge nozzle and controlling the etching liquid through the least one of wafer rotation speed or liquid emission rate, so that the etching liquid selectively contacts the surface peripheral area and the end face of the wafer without contacting the device area, thereby selectively etching out an unnecessary material existing in said surface peripheral area, wherein a protecting liquid is emitted toward a surface center of said wafer by a surface nozzle, thereby covering said device area of said wafer to protect the same against said etching liquid emitted from said edge nozzle.