This technology is a proprietary proton-assisted plasma etching platform designed to overcome fundamental limitations of halogen-based metal dry etching.
By supplying reactive protons during plasma processing, the system suppresses non-volatile metal halide formation and enables clean, vertical, and damage-free etching at ultra-low temperatures (<50–80 °C).
Unlike conventional processes with narrow process windows, the platform provides wide, robust operating margins and sub-micron precision.
It supports scalable manufacturing and retrofitting for next-generation semiconductor, display, and MEMS applications.
Metal dry etching in semiconductor and display manufacturing is fundamentally constrained by the formation of non-volatile metal halides (e.g., AgCl, CuCl₂) in halogen-based plasma processes. Under low-temperature and low-pressure conditions, these by-products redeposit or regrow on surfaces, causing residue accumulation, profile distortion, and process instability.
This technology introduces a Reactive Proton-Assisted Etching (RPE) platform that actively supplies high-density protons generated through dissociative ionization of HCl gas. The reactive protons modify the metal–halogen reaction pathway, lowering the effective activation barrier and converting non-volatile by-products into volatile species. This enables clean metal removal without residue formation.
The system operates under ultra-low substrate temperatures (<80 °C) with backside helium cooling, preventing photoresist burning, hardening, and thermal substrate damage. Experimental results demonstrate residue-free, vertical etching with sub-micron resolution, PR selectivity >25, and uniformity within ~10% on Gen-2 (370 × 470 mm) substrates, with verified scalability toward Gen-6 (1600 mm).
The platform supports multiple engagement models, including IP licensing (exclusive or non-exclusive), collaborative R&D, customized process recipe development, and retrofit integration into existing etch systems. Target markets include semiconductor logic/memory, next-generation displays (OLED), and MEMS/NEMS fabrication requiring high-precision, low-damage metal patterning.
IBU Inc. is a technology commercialization and consulting firm supporting licensing, co-development, and venture creation based on deep-tech and research-originated technologies.
The company operates as a technology transfer partner, startup studio, and accelerator, working with universities, research institutes, and industry players.
IBU Inc. connects technology owners with corporate partners and investors by structuring collaboration models, commercialization strategies, and market-oriented pathways.
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