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US 2025/0053083 A1Published application
Manufacture of surface relief structures
AssigneeSnap Inc.
InventorsIan Sturland, Mark Venables, Tracey Hawke, Rory Mills, Ian Macken
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for the etching of variable depth features in a substrate is described. Movement of the substrate relative to an etchant (e.g. into or out of the etchant) during the etching process is utilised to provide a varying etch time, and hence depth, across the substrate, and in various examples this is enabled without requiring a varying mask.
Claims20
An etching system to etch a surface-relief structure on a substrate, the etching system comprising:
- an etching vessel;
- and
- a support apparatus configured to move the substrate between a first position and a second position in the etching system, in the first position only a first part of an area of the substrate to be etched is exposed to an etchant with the etchant comprising an anisotropic etchant, in the etching vessel, and in the second position an additional portion of the area to be etched is exposed to the etchant such that the first part of the area to be etched is exposed to the etchant for a longer period of time than at least one other part of the area to be etched, the movement being defined according to an etching profile.
An etching system to etch a nanostructure-based, surface-relief structure on a substrate, the etching system comprising:
- an etching vessel;
- and
- a support apparatus configured to move the substrate between a first position and a second position in the etching system, in the first position only a first part of an area of the substrate to be etched is exposed to an etchant in the etching vessel, and in the second position an additional portion of the area to be etched is exposed to the etchant such that the first part of the area to be etched is exposed to the etchant for a longer period of time than at least one other part of the area to be etched, the movement of the support apparatus being defined according to an etching profile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.