Advantages

For The Environment

New Structuring Concepts
For Solar Cell and Display Production
 1240
EXPERTISE & PARTNERSHIP
Merck KGaA supports the photovoltaic and display industries with a background of more than
100 years of experience in high-technology products, e.g. liquid crystals. Our expertise and
competencies include R&D, application support, manufacturing know-how and worldwide
market presence. As a reliable partner, we develop tailor-made, innovative structuring concepts
for our customers with emphasis on new approaches to support environmentally friendly
manufacturing processes.

OUR CONCEPT
Being environmentally friendly, isishape™ products contain the lowest concentrations of etching
species and organic solvents. Due to the high material utilization, water consumption in the
cleaning process is minimized. In addition, cleaning and rinsing in DI water does not require
organic detergents. Both lead to extremely low COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and BOD
(Biological Oxygen Demand) values, allowing for a green factory concept.
The strength of the isishape™ process is clearly the non-aggressive paste formulation, which
safeguards your workers and equipment. Under the recommended process conditions, exhausts
can be released into the air without further treatment.

OUR PROCESS Exhaust

no treatment necessary
330

Substrate SCREEN CLEANING structured

HEATING
PRINTing & DRYING Substrate

Wastewater
treatment with filters

isishape™ materials from the SolarEtch™ and HiperEtch™ series require few process steps only:
• Printing of a small amount of etching paste on the substrate area where material
should be removed.
• Heating of the substrate with the printed paste pattern or room temperature, where
applicable. Etching only starts where the paste was printed.
• Cleaning of the substrate by rinsing in DI water and removal of etched layer material
and etching paste, followed by the drying of the substrate.

30 30

25 25
24

20 20
COD
BOD
15 15
Untreated wastewater with
standard organic cleaning
detergent.
10 10
9
COD
5 5 BOD
3 All data are based on 100ml paste per
2 substrate and 2 l tap water for rinsing
0 0 (e.g. HiperEtch™ 04S or SolarEtch™ BES).
Untreated Untreated Precipitated &
WasteWater WasteWater Cross Flow
Filtrated
(Pore size 100 kD)
WASTEWATER TREATMENT Water DI Water

The solid particles contained in the wastewater can

be easily separated. A simple coagulation and
sedimentation process, using small amounts of Substrate Clean
Before Substrate
inexpensive calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), followed
Cleaning
by a simple filtration process, enables easy removal Substrate Cleaning Final Rinsing
of particles from the water.
Cross-flow filtration is a suitable option for
companies that intend to run a continuous
wastewater treatment process. A viability test has
Precipitation Agent
been carried out together with Pall GmbH ...........
...........
...........
Microelectronics in Germany. For more detailed ...........
...........
...........
...........
...........
information please contact your nearest Pall office ...........
...........
...........
...........
...........
(http://www.pall.com/corporate_locations.asp) and ...........
...........
...........
Cross Flow Filter ...........
...........
...........
refer to the “Pall Project: MEG-EU-01970 B2”. ...........
...........
........... Precipitation
...........
...........
...........
...........
Exemplary Filtering
...........
...........
........... Process e.g. for
HiperEtch™ 04S or
SolarEtch™ BES

Rotary Pump

Summary
Merck has developed a new environmentally friendly structuring method for the photovoltaic and display
industries. The isishape™ concept shows many advantages:
• Process requires few process steps only.
• Non-aggressive formulation enables a safe working environment and the use of regular
equipment.
• Good material utilization.
• Very low organic concentrations in the rinse water lead to excellent BOD and COD values.
• Excellent cleaning of substrates, equipment and screens with DI water only (no organic detergent
needed).
• Common filtration as cost-effective wastewater treatment.

As the structuring requirements depend on individual customer needs and local regulations vary greatly,
individual results may differ. We are here to help – please contact us at our local offices.

Just Filter: All etching components are particulate.

Ionic residues of acids can be precipitated.

Laboratory test:
(e.g. HiperEtch™ 04S or SolarEtch™ BES)
0.25g paste/l DI water, Calcium hydroxide
(Ca(OH) ) treatment at pH 9-11.
2

Untreated Rinse Water Ca(OH)2 treatment

Disclaimer
This information is intended to provide general notes on our products and their uses. We provide information and advice
to our customers on products and application technologies to the best of our knowledge and ability, but without
obligation or liability. Therefore, it should not be construed as guaranteeing specific properties of the products described
or for their suitability for particular applications.
Existing laws, regulations, and any existing industrial property rights are to be observed in all cases by our customers.
This also applies in respect to any rights of third parties. Our information and advice do not relieve our customers of their
own responsibility for checking the suitability of our products for the envisaged purpose.
The quality of our products is guaranteed under our General Conditions of Sale.

Contact addresses
Europe Merck KGaA Korea Merck Advanced Technologies Ltd.
LC/ M&S / Structuring Solutions Ms. Kyung-Hee Lee
Post Code: C010/102 4th Floor, Haesung-2-Bldg.
Ms. Ursula Lehwald 942-10, Daechi-3-dong,
Frankfurter Straße 250 Kangnam-ku,
64293 Darmstadt, Germany Seoul 135-725, Korea
Phone: +49 (0) 6151/72-8342 Phone: +82-2-2185-3894
Fax: +49 (0) 6151/72-918342 Fax: +82-2-2185-3800
ursula.lehwald@merck.de kyungh.lee@merck.co.kr

Japan Merck Ltd. Taiwan Merck Display Technologies Ltd.

Mr. Masaki Ose Mr. Jeff Wang
ARCO Tower, 5F. No. 39, Ching Chien I Rd.,
8-1, Shimomeguro 1-chome Kuanyin Ind. Park
Meguro-ku Taoyuan, Taiwan, (328) R.O.C.
Tokyo 153-8927, Japan Phone: +886-3-483-6521 Ext. 2322
Phone: +81-3-5434-5162 Fax: +886-3-416-0440
Fax: +81-3-5434-4708 jeff.wang@merck.com.tw
masaki.ose@merck.co.jp

China Merck Limited USA EMD Chemicals Inc. -

Mr. Henry Tse An Affiliate of Merck KGaA
29/F, 3 Lockhart Road Mr. Robert Miller
Wanchai, Hongkong 790 Memorial Drive
Phone: +852-2376 6341 Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Fax: +852-2576 1912 Phone: +1-856-599-6634
henry.tse@merck.com.hk Cell: +1-914-564-6920
robert.miller@emdchemicals.com
07/2008

For further information please visit www.isishape.com