Ultra Pure Chemicals
Mixtures/Blends
Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Etchants
LCE-10, LCE-12 and Other Custom Formulations
Owing to its electrical conductivity and optical transparency, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is one of the most widely used transparent conductive oxides (TCO) for LCD displays, touch panels, solar cells and other related applications. It is typically made of 90% indium (III) oxide (In2O3) and 10% tin (IV) oxide, by weight.
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) mixtures are often used as isotropic wet etchants for the ITO films under heated conditions. To optimize the performance of the etchants, the HCl mixtures often contain other components, which provide the following benefits:
There are both standard and application specific ITO etchants utilized in the electronic industry. OM Group Ultra Pure Chemicals currently markets LCE-10 and LCE-12 as two standard products with the following specifications:
| Etchant | LCE-10 | LCE-12 |
| Composition | HCl-HNO3-H2O | HCl-FeCl3-HNO3-H2O |
| Purity: | Standard and high purity | Standard |
| Etch Rate (A/min, 45-55°C): | 400-500 | 1,500-2,000 |
| Shelf-life: | 12 months | 12 months |
| Filtration (μ): | >0.1 | 0.1 |
| pH | <1 | <1 |
| Specific gravity (g/ml): | 1.082 +/- 0.005 | 1.184 +/- 0.006 |
We also welcome inquiries for any customized forms of the ITO etchants from our customers. Other examples for ITO Etching may include: