AUTOMATIC ETCHING DEVICE

PURPOSE:To automate the etching treatment of lumped materials to be etched by filling an etching liquid into a spiral multi-chamber type cell and rotating the same, thereby etching the materials to be etched while successively moving said materials. CONSTITUTION:A hollow drum body 1 is formed of a material having the resistance to acid and alkalis and is rotated forward and backward by a motor 4. The body 1 is constituted by joining cylindrical and circular truncated cone- shaped drums 1a, 1b and is segmented to respectively plural cells 5a, 5b by providing spiral vanes 5 to the inside peripheral faces thereof. A throwing port 6 and a discharge port 7 are provided to the proper points of the body 1. For example, an installation grade is provided to the body 1 and the etching liquid consisting of mixed acids composed of a hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid is thrown into the body 1 from the end of the drum 1b and the body 1 is rotated. The lumped materials so be etched such as Si are then carried into the body through a throwing port 6. The materials are guided by the vanes 5 and are moved in the etching liquid. The materials are successively ejected from the discharge port 7 while the materials are etched to a desired thickness.