刻蝕機和光刻機的區別：光刻機把圖案印上去，然后刻蝕機根據印上去的圖案刻蝕掉有圖案（或者沒有圖案）的部分，留下剩余的部分。刻蝕相對光刻要容易。如果把在硅晶體上的施工比成木匠活的話，光刻機的作用相當于木匠在木料上用墨斗劃線，刻蝕機的作用相當于木匠在木料上用鋸子、鑿子、斧子、刨子等施工。蝕刻機和光刻機性質一樣，但精度要求是天壤之別。木匠做細活，一般精確到毫米就行。做芯片用的刻蝕機和光刻機，要精確到納米。
The difference between an etching machine and a photolithography machine: the photolithography machine prints the pattern, and then the etching machine etches the patterned (or non patterned) part according to the printed pattern, leaving the remaining part. Etching is easier than photolithography. If the construction on the silicon crystal is compared with that of a carpenter, the function of the photolithography machine is equivalent to that of a carpenter marking with an ink bucket on the wood, and the function of the etching machine is equivalent to that of a carpenter using a saw, chisel, ax, plane, etc. on the wood. The nature of the etching machine is the same as that of the photolithography machine, but the accuracy requirements are vastly different. Carpenters usually do fine work to the nearest millimeter. The etching machine and lithography machine used for making chips should be accurate to nanometer.
