Estimation of contamination levels in a chemical recirculation system for semiconductor wafer processing

Author

Narayanswami, Natraj

Author_Institution

FST Int. Inc., Chaska, MN, USA

Volume

13

Issue

1

fYear

2000

fDate

2/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

10

Lastpage

15

Abstract

A theoretical analysis is presented of the contamination buildup in a generic chemical recirculation system used in semiconductor wafer processing. Mathematical expressions are derived for useful quantities, such as the maximum possible concentration of contaminant in the recirculation tank and the number of processes required to reach any particular concentration level. Recirculation systems are analyzed wherein the amount of chemical used and the amount of contaminant picked up per process cycle are either constant or process dependent. Sample calculations are presented for the two cases. The mathematical equations derived in the study are presented in a form that can be easily extended to the analysis of more complex recirculation systems and the optimization of chemical supplies and processes for maximum performance

Keywords

integrated circuit yield; process monitoring; chemical recirculation system; chemical supplies; concentration level; contamination levels; mathematical equations; process cycle; recirculation tank; semiconductor wafer processing; Chemical analysis; Chemical processes; Chemical products; Cleaning; Degradation; Equations; Hafnium; Hydrogen; Performance analysis; Surface contamination;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Semiconductor Manufacturing, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0894-6507

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/66.827335

Filename

827335