Over the past decade, the boundaries of high-end glass applications have rapidly expanded; glass forms that are thinner, lighter, more reliable, and structurally more complex are presenting a common challenge for wet etching processes.
3C Electronics
Cover glass evolves from flat to 3D thermoformed shapes, from standard thicknesses to ultra-thin flexible formats, and from single-sided coverage to multi-faceted internal and external structures.
Advanced Semiconductor Packaging
With superior flatness, lower dielectric loss, and enhanced dimensional stability, glass substrates are rapidly making inroads into cutting-edge applications such as Chiplet glass interposers and panel-level advanced packaging.
Glass substrates become thinner, lighter, more reliable, and structurally more complex; all these present challenge for the wet etching process: precision, safety, and environmental sustainability.
For a long time, hydrofluoric acid (HF) wet etching has been the mainstream method for thinning and etching high-end glass. However, the limitations of the HF-based approach regarding safety, environmental impact, and process capabilities have become increasingly apparent:
1. High costs associated with waste liquid treatment
2. Difficulty in meeting the increasingly stringent surface quality requirements for high-end glass
3. Insufficient process capabilities to address new demands, such as the trend toward thinner, lighter 3C devices and advanced packaging technologies
In contrast, high-temperature alkaline etching systems eliminate fluoride emissions and simplify waste treatment, significantly reducing the environmental burden. Furthermore, they deliver superior surface quality and are better suited for processing ultra-thin glass and intricate structures. A new process route utilizing NaOH combined with high-temperature etching is opening up new possibilities in the field.
However, the new process places higher demands on the equipment.
The alkaline etching rate increases exponentially with temperature. While efficiency at standard temperatures is far lower than that of HF, raising the temperature to achieve the required efficiency introduces the dual challenges of maintaining uniformity and ensuring equipment corrosion resistance.
Kzone Equipment offers a wet-processing solution—high-temperature alkaline etching equipment—designed for the precision etching of high-end glass. Utilizing a high-temperature alkaline process system and core technologies such as precise temperature control, in-line chemical management, flexible transport, and intelligent scheduling, the equipment meets the high-precision processing requirements for thinning, edge treatment, and through-hole fabrication in ultra-thin and complex-structure glass.
01 High-Temperature Precision Temperature Control System
Covers a process temperature range of 80–170°C with a control precision of ±0.5°C, providing stable reaction conditions for alkaline etching and ensuring etching uniformity across large glass surfaces.
02 Feed-Bleed Dynamic Concentration Management
Features a dynamic fluid replenishment and discharge design that enables stable, real-time concentration control, ensuring continuity and consistency in mass production.
03 Proprietary Precision Mechanism Design
Utilizes optimized motion and flow field control to ensure etching uniformity across batches, meeting the rigorous thickness consistency requirements of glass thinning processes.
04 Corrosion Resistance and Equipment Longevity
Incorporates a system-level scheduling architecture featuring a "triple-layer software synchronization mechanism," enabling high-temperature alkaline etching processes to finally meet the operational tempo required for high-end glass wet-processing mass production.
Based on a high-temperature alkaline process system, Kzone’s high-temperature alkaline etching equipment is capable of handling three highly challenging scenarios in high-end glass processing:
Ⅰ Full-surface thinning of ultra-thin glass(UTG)
Used for the uniform thinning of glass for 3C consumer electronics.
Ⅱ Glass edge rounding via etching
Uses chemical etching instead of mechanical chamfering to eliminate residual micro-cracks.
Ⅲ TGV (Through-Glass Via) etching
Designed for advanced semiconductor packaging; utilizes laser-induced pre-treatment to complete the through-via process on glass substrates.
The transition from hydrofluoric (HF) acid to sodium hydroxide (NaOH) represents far more than a simple reagent swap; it signifies a breakthrough across three critical fronts: inherent safety, green manufacturing, and the resolution of process bottlenecks. Kzone Equipment’s high-temperature (170°C) NaOH alkaline etching system serves as the pivotal technology enabling this substitution. Driven by the relentless demand for complex microstructures in 3C glass and the practical adoption of glass substrates in Chiplet advanced packaging, the market for this high-end wet processing equipment is poised for explosive growth.
Established in 2011 in Changshu, Jiangsu, Suzhou Kzone Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the development of wet processing and patterning technologies and their associated equipment. The company is dedicated to providing wet processing and patterning equipment—including systems for high-precision cleaning, coating, developing, etching, photoresist stripping, and electrochemical deposition—to the advanced display, photovoltaic, and semiconductor industries. Additionally, the company offers innovative solutions such as online waste liquid recycling systems, intelligent integration, and data analysis, helping customers upgrade their production processes to be greener and smarter.
