[aeonik]

You can absolutely etch silicon at home. Processes like wet etching (KOH, HF), reactive ion etching (RIE), laser ablation, and even electron beam lithography using repurposed CRTs are all viable at the DIY scale.

They're not used in high-volume manufacturing (you’re not replacing ASML), but they’re solid for prototyping, research, and niche builds.

Just don’t underestimate the safety aspect—some of these chemicals (like HF) are genuinely nasty, and DIY high voltage setups can bite hard.

You're not hitting nanometer nodes, but for MEMS, sensors, and basic ICs, it’s totally within reach if you know what you’re doing.