Buffered Oxide Etchants

Buffered oxide etchants (BOE) are used commonly used in microfabrication. Their primary use is in etching thin films of silicon dioxide (SiO2) or silicon nitride (Si3N4). Browse our semiconductor grade Puranal™ products.

Normal etching of SiO2 will deplete the fluroide ion concentration, leading to an etch rate which changes over time. Buffering with NH4F slows the etch rate and results in more polishing of the Si surface.