Sapphire Etching - Dry vs Wet Process

There are two popular etching processes being used to produce pattered sapphire substrate - the dry and wet etching. It is imperative to know the differences between the two so that a manufacturing company is able to determine which between the two is better. To help you with that, I have prepared below some points of comparison:

Dry etching

• considered to be the most common method to etch sapphire substrate productiona very slow process with a low throughput rate; 
• a standard 2-inch wafer can consume between 30 and 60 minutes to etch. 
it does not scale effectively. As a wafer size increases, throughput of a dry etcher falls as fewer wafers fit inside the vacuum chamber. And because of that,  more expensive plasma etching tools are needed to achieve the same throughput as was achieved on smaller wafers.
• as an estimate, dry etching rates range between 50nm to 200nm per minute is attainable.
• it creates bright, efficient LEDs but does so slowly and with limited throughput

Wet etching

• is known to provide dual advantages of being extremely fast and a lot cheaper than dry etching
• it is very scalable but produces LEDs that are not quite as effective or efficient as dry etching.
• it provides a considerable cost saving than the dry etching
• polishing touch-up work is performed on hte wafers in order to increase light extraction efficiency

Some equipment used in etching process:

• The Accubath Xe-Series -- an etching bath equipment from Imtec Acculine, was designed with Sapphire etching in mind but we know there are other processes that will benefit from the increased chemical reactivity that higher temperatures provide (300°C). Processes that were previously thought to be too slow due to temperature limitations may now be practical because of innovations like this.
• Hitachi High-tech Silicon Etch System -- this equipment is used in dry etching based on an ECR(*1) plasma source, it is capable of generating a stable high density plasma at a very low pressure.
• CDE-80N Chemical Dry Etching Equipment -- Performs chemical dry etching of thin film on a semiconductor wafer in gaseous state (dry). Damage-free etching process through perfect separation of the etching unit and plasma generating unit enables wide use in the damage removal process.

Each of the etching processes discussed above has its own advantages and disadvantages. But, just like any other processes, select the one you think can improve your bottom-line -- profit.    

Why Failure Analysis Is Critical To Manufacturing Process?

Failure analysis, a process that relies on collecting failed components for subsequent examination of the cause or causes of failure, is considered as one critical discipline in many branches of manufacturing process because it can effectively help in the following:

• Refinement of an existing product - many products found in the market today can still be refined with the help of failure analysis; this is with the help of several procedures including collecting data of their failed components, which are brought to a laboratory for analysis in order to determine the cause and act accordingly.
• Development of new products - in many cases, the discovery of a certain cause of failure cannot just be useful for the refinement of the existing one but, of equal importance, can lead to the development of new/other products, which can be useful to both manufacturers and consumers as well.
• Cost reductions - physical and electrical failure analysis, which helps in determining the cause of failure, reduces costs as manufacturing companies can use better materials and avoid unnecessary spending and wasting, which therefore can help reduce materials and operational costs and improves profits.

There are two popular categories under failure analysis and these are the following:

• Electrical failure analysis - some examples of electrical failure analysis work can be done during dielectric breakdown, component failure, arc tracking/conductive path tracking, poor quality solder joints, floating neutrals and high voltage transients, oxidation and corrosion of electrical connections, and contamination of circuit boards. Mechanisms used as part of electrical failure analysis include Analytical Probe Station, Curve-Trace (Manual & Automated); Emission Microscopy (Near Infrared); Florescent Micro-Thermal Imaging with Lock-In; Laser Stimulation Microscopy.
• Physical failure analysis - this becomes increasingly important for process optimization for situations like when there is a continued shrinking of materials used in a certain manufacturing process. In cases like the one specified, a particular manufacturing facility can do the analysis (or hire a third party to do it) such as 3-D X-ray Tomography, C-scanning acoustic Microscopy, De-Capsulation, Deprocessing, FIB-SEM Cross Sectioning, Mechanical Cross-Sectioning, Real-time X-ray - among other physical failure analysis procedures.

More and more companies in the manufacturing sector have recognized the importance of failure analysis and have incorporated this procedure in their own system for product refinement and development of new ones.

Finding The Right Classic Car Restoration Shop To Bring Your Dream Car Back To Its Beauty And Power

Repair and restoration works are some of the most challenging tasks a classic car owner could have. For one, because of the unique nature of this job (not all car repair shops offer classic car repair services); second, finding a restoration shop that caters your needs is pretty expensive - that is, if you are not wise enough to choose the best classic car repair in town.

With the aim of helping you find a good, reputable classic car restoration shop, I have prepared some tips below - some insights you might find useful:

• Credentials - this does not only mean the papers or documentations but a list of projects a particular classic car restoration shop has accomplished during the course of time or period it has been in business. Aside from examining its records, asking its previous customers or persons who experienced working with a particular shop can be a great help in examining its credentials. The bottom line is, as is the case of most industries, no matter how good or bad a classic car restoration company in terms of selling itself, it is always the credentials that speaks more convincingly.
• The length of time in service - most of the time (if not all the time) those companies who are more capable of providing good quality service are those who have been in business for quite some time. That is also true when it comes to classic car restoration shops. Generally, the longer the time a company has been is business means that it has gained the necessary experience to become a better service provider.
• The manpower - another factor that you should consider as you choose your service company. A particular service provider might be good in a number of ways; however, if it has a limited manpower to carry out its service, it could suffer a major drawback that can compromise the quality of its service as a whole. See to it that your prospective company has the ideal number of workforce to do the classic car restoration jobs.
• The logistics - you should also examine whether or not a classic car restoration shop is advantageous in your part, logistically. You should also find out where your service provider does the job - is it at its own shop? or does a particular service provider offer restoration service at home? The bottom-line is that the logistics consideration is one area that you should consider as this can reduce your overall service expenses. 

A classic car restoration shop can bring your dream car back to its beauty and power without spending too much of your money. It is just a matter of finding the most qualified ones.