Keynote Panel: Yield and Reliability- Enabling Advanced Semiconductor Yield

In the yield enhancement report 2021 there is a call for highly controlled deposition experiments to determine the particle deposition rate on the wafer compared to the known particle count in the ultrapure water (UPW) to gain better understanding about the contamination sources on-wafer. The goal of this collaborative study between Lam Research as a tool supplier and Ovivo Switzerland as an UPW engineering company is to investigate potential correlation between UPW quality form a full scale UPW plant and particle deposition on standard silicon 300 mm wafer.

Presentation given at April 7th 2022 online UPM Community event.

The main objective of wet cleaning a silicon wafer is to achieve a wafer surface free from contaminants such as particles, heavy metals, organic residues, mobile ions and oxides. Furthermore, wafer surface roughness and surface termination are becoming critical as semiconductor device geometry continues to shrink. A large amount of high-purity DI or ultrapure water (UPW) with chemicals is used during wet cleaning of a silicon wafer to remove contaminants from wafer. The wet cleaning process includes a number of individual process steps operating in sequence to remove these impurities. The primary objective of this paper is to develop an understanding of the adsorption of metallic impurities from each of these process steps and their removal by the subsequent step. Experimental simulation of metal deposition during post CMP cleaning of a silicon wafer is carried out by measuring the amount of deposited metal from a metal-contaminated chemical bath. In a similar manner metal removal by a clean chemical bath is determined by measurement of the surface metals on a wafer, following the processing in a metal-contaminated bath. This investigation provides information on the behavior of metal adsorption and metal desorption from chemical baths containing multiple metals. Both P-type and N-type wafers with different doping levels were used in order to evaluate the effect of doping on adsorption and desorption process. The metal adsorption and desorption are discussed in relation to solution pH and the nature of metal ions involved. This simulation was performed to gain a better understanding of the adsorption/desorption behaviour of metal ions in a multi-metal environment and can be used for the determination of acceptable contamination tolerance for the incoming wafer and permissible contamination levels for each cleaning step of a front-end line (FEOL) wet cleaning process. This article was originally published in the Ultrapure Micro Journal in February 2018.

This webinar brought together the perspectives of end-users, high purity polymer material experts, and POU treatment specialists, to present a holistic view of the risks associated with high purity materials and components. Archita Sengupta, Intel, and Bob McIntosh, Enviro-Energy Solutions, opened the discussion by identifying the key technology challenges associated with high purity liquid delivery systems. Followed by a panel discussion of industry experts, the webinar addressed potential solutions and proactive strategies for improving material quality and treatment solutions to ensure high manufacturing yield.

This webinar features a presentation from Nabil Mistkawi, Samsung Austin Semiconductor, who identifies key technology requirements for wet chemicals and gases from an end user perspective. This was followed by an engaging discussion between tool OEM companies and end users, as they explored the contamination control needs of individual environments, showing where contamination impacts the process, thereby bringing together the supply chain with the clean room.

This presentation was given at the Ultrapure Micro 2020 annual conference. It was presented in the AMC, Liquid Chemicals & Gases Control track, as part of the Airborne Molecular Contamination (AMC) and High Purity Gases Control session.

This presentation was given at the Ultrapure Micro 2015 annual conference. It was presented as a Keynote presentation.