Effects on etching rates of copper in ferric chloride solutions

The influences of several factors on the etching rates of Cu in FeCl/sub 3/ etchant are studied with a spray etching apparatus in this paper. The Cu etching surfaces are analyzed by XRD, and it is shown that there is a CuCl passivation film on the etching surface. A brief explanation is offered based on the relationship between etching rate and etching time. It indicates that cations influence the etching rate as the effects of different chlorides on etching rates have been studied. Additionally, the quantity of copper dissolved in FeCl/sub 3/ etchant and regeneration of spent etchants are also investigated in this paper.