Buffered oxide etchant (BOE) 10:1 with surfactant

Buffered oxide etchant (BOE) is a wet etchant used in microfabrication. Its primary use is in etching thin films of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) or silicon nitride (Si₃N₄). It is a mixture of a buffering agent, such as ammonium fluoride (NH₄F), and hydrofluoric acid (HF). Concentrated HF etches silicon dioxide too quickly for good process control and also peels photoresist used in lithographic patterning.

Buffered oxide etchant (BOE) 10:1 with surfactant can be potentially used in the etching of titanium carbide, which is used in the fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). It may be used in the etching of spin-on-dopant (SOD) for the development of conductor-insulator-conductor tunneling diodes. It may also be used to enhance the surface of fused quartz devices.