A comparison of the etching behaviour of the FS Cr-free SOI with that of the Secco etching solution on silicon-on-insulator substrates

The “FS Cr-free SOI” etching solution has been presented as a new defect etching solution especially developed for application on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates fabricated by the Smart-Cut™ technology. It is free of toxic hexavalent chromium. Very efficient in revealing crystal defects it is a promising candidate for Secco replacement on SOI. The aim of this paper is to present and compare the most important characteristics of both defect etching solutions. The defect delineation mechanism common to both Secco and FS Cr-free SOI and etching mechanisms will also be discussed.