Impact of Air Filter Material on Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) Device Characteristics in HF Vapor Environment

Abstract

Airborne molecular contamination (AMC) is becoming increasingly important as devices are scaled down to the nanometer generation. Optimum ultra low penetration air (ULPA) filter technology can eliminate AMC. In a cleanroom, however, the acid vapor generated from the cleaning process may degrade the ULPA filter, releasing AMC to the air and the surface of wafers, degrading the electrical characteristics of devices. This work proposes the new PTFE ULPA filter, which is resistant to acid vapor corrosion, to solve this problem. Experimental results demonstrate that the PTFE ULPA filter can effectively eliminate the AMC and provide a very clean cleanroom environment.

Organic Airborne Molecular Contamination in Semiconductor Fabrication Clean Rooms

“…While suppression of oAMCs has been successfully demonstrated through both air monitoring and device characterization, 60,61 meager information on the research and development of chemical filters is available, possibly due to its high proprietary and commercial values. In principle, chemical filters in cleanroom applications must be capable of dealing with high volumetric flow and low outgassing from filter materials themselves.…”

Long‐term performance analysis of chemical filters in clean rooms based on a prediction model

“…[8][9][10] MCs are a special kind of multi-component contaminants, and there are a large number of MC pollution sources in microelectronic clean rooms, such as paints, plasticizers, and flame retardants, which can emit benzene, phthalate, and other MC pollutants. [11][12][13][14][15] These contaminants can affect the accuracy of the production process and cause erosion on the chip. 16 Therefore, the control of indoor air quality has been recognized as a vital requirement for the quality assurance of products.…”

“…The concentration of AMC in a microelectronic clean room is as low as 1/100 of that in resident buildings; however, this concentration can cause serious harm on production in microelectronic clean rooms 8‐10 . MCs are a special kind of multi‐component contaminants, and there are a large number of MC pollution sources in microelectronic clean rooms, such as paints, plasticizers, and flame retardants, which can emit benzene, phthalate, and other MC pollutants 11‐15 . These contaminants can affect the accuracy of the production process and cause erosion on the chip 16 .…”