Fine Lines in High Yield (Part CLI): Ferric Chloride Etching of Copper

摘要

This installment of Tech Talk attempts to give some background on ferric chloride etching, including anecdotal information that I have collected from the industry. The main source of ferric chloride is steel manufacture where ferric chloride is produced from spent steel pickling solution. Another source is the production of titanium dioxide where ferric chloride is a byproduct. The major uses for ferric chloride are municipal wastewater treatment and potable water treatment where ferric hydroxide acts as a very effective flocculating agent. The use in photochemical machining and electronics is only a minor component.