Matrix laser cleaning: a new technique for the removal of nanometer sized particles from semiconductors

Graf, J.; Luk’yanchuk, Boris; Mosbacher, Mario; Hong, Ming Hui; Chong, Chai Tai; Boneberg, Johannes; Leiderer, Paul

doi:10.1007/s00339-007-4017-6

Cited by 21 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The presence of micro/nanoparticles of various contaminants can adversely affect the quality of precision devices, semiconductors, and high-threshold optical components [1][2][3][4]. Conventional laser-cleaning methods such as dry laser cleaning [5], stream/wet laser cleaning [6,7], and matrix laser cleaning have several disadvantages [8]. For example, they have low removal efficiencies in the case of nanoparticles and can damage the substrate [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation on ultimate results and formation mechanism of the micro-nano particles removal by laser plasma

Jun¹,

Lai²,

Li³

et al. 2020

Laser Phys. Lett.

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Micro/nanoparticles contamination is one of the key factors affecting the quality of precision manufacturing, and the traditional cleaning methods cannot function effectively. The laser plasma has high temperature and pressure, which can be used as a new and potential method to implement the removal of micro/nanoparticle, and it has become the focus of attention. This paper aims to analyze the particles removal process under the action of repetitively pulsed laser plasma, which is mainly composed of the changes in particle morphologies, the ultimate removal results, as well as the corresponding academic analysis based on the thermodynamic effects. Investigation results show that the particles removal characteristics depend heavily on the number of pulsed plasma, micrometer-size particles can be removed at the beginning, and then particles with the size about several hundred nanometers in the following stages. Analyzed from the morphological properties of particles, the refinement can be found, more specifically, the particle can be broken up into more smaller ones under the action of laser plasma with high pressure and temperature. The particles refinement will deepen the difficulty on removal efficiency, and when the particles ultimately convert into ultrasmall nanoparticles with several nanometers, which will attach to substrate presenting as flocculent aggregate, and cannot be completely wiped out.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation on ultimate results and formation mechanism of the micro-nano particles removal by laser plasma

Jun¹,

Lai²,

Li³

et al. 2020

Laser Phys. Lett.

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“…Laser ablation is a widely used tool in a number of applications, ranging from electronics, photonics, fabrication of materials based on nanotechnology, medical diagnostics and surgery, to spectrometric analysis. − The rate, characteristic features, and quality of laser ablation in these applications depend on laser processing parameters such as, wavelengths, fluences, and pulse widths, along with electronic, thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties of the material. The ablation process also occurs over multiple length and time scales further complicating its study using a particular set of experimental and modeling tools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interplay between Chemical, Thermal, and Mechanical Processes Occurring upon Laser Excitation of Poly(methyl methacrylate) and Its Role in Ablation

2009

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Experiments and modeling studies have identified thermal, chemical, and mechanical processes as likely sources of laser ablation in polymeric materials. In our earlier study, molecular dynamics simulations with an embedded Monte Carlo based reaction scheme have been used to investigate the role of each of these processes separately, in a poly(methyl methacrylate) substrate irradiated by ultraviolet lasers. In the present study, using the same substrate, we allow for interactions among these processes, to better model the real ablation process, and investigate how it affects the system evolution during ablation. In the purely thermal case, chemical reactions are allowed to occur via the thermo-mechanical bond break and radical formation leading to subsequent gas formation. Similarly, in purely photochemical cases, additional bond breaks and reactions occur due to high temperatures and stresses. In all cases, it is observed that the ablation process is extended over longer time scales (. laser pulse width) resulting in higher yields. The thermo-mechanical bond breaks and ensuing reactions ensure that the substrate remains hotter for a long time, causing more fragmentation and ejection of the substrate. The mechanism of ejection for all thermal and chemical pathways is found to be both the thermo-mechanical in nature, driven by critical fraction of broken bonds, as well as chemical in nature, governed by near complete disintegration of the polymer matrix into monomers, small polymer fragments, and gas molecules. The formation of volatile gases, just underneath the surface assists in the ejection of the fragmented substrate. In all cases, secondary damage due to thermo-mechanical bond break process stimulated by high temperature and stresses, and by chemistry of the polymeric substrate, is found to contribute significantly more than the direct laser photochemical or photothermal damage, to the substrate and plume evolution as well as total ablation yield. † Part of the "Hiroshi Masuhara Festschrift".

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“…Laser Cleaning since its first appearance in the beginning of the 1990s is a topic of ongoing interest as the removal of smaller particles from very sensitive surfaces is of growing need. Different variants have been studied, which include among others Dry Laser Cleaning (DLC) [1,2], Steam Laser Cleaning (SLC) [3][4][5][6], where additionally a thin liquid layer is deposited on the sample, and Matrix Laser Cleaning (MLC) [7], which involves a solid layer condensed onto the cooled substrate. While it is hard to prevent surface damage in DLC, SLC and MLC showed high cleaning efficiencies down to particle sizes as small as 50 nm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infrared steam laser cleaning

et al. 2008

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Steam Laser Cleaning with a pulsed infrared laser source is investigated. The infrared light is tuned to the absorption maximum of water (λ = 2.94 µm, 10 ns), whereas the substrates used are transparent (glass, silicon). Thus a thin liquid water layer condensed on top of the contaminated substrate is rapidly heated. The pressure generated during the subsequent phase explosion generates a cleaning force which exceeds the adhesion of the particles. We examine the cleaning threshold in single shot experiments for particles sized from 1 µm down to 300 nm.

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Matrix laser cleaning: a new technique for the removal of nanometer sized particles from semiconductors

Cited by 21 publications

References 21 publications

Investigation on ultimate results and formation mechanism of the micro-nano particles removal by laser plasma

Investigation on ultimate results and formation mechanism of the micro-nano particles removal by laser plasma

Interplay between Chemical, Thermal, and Mechanical Processes Occurring upon Laser Excitation of Poly(methyl methacrylate) and Its Role in Ablation

Infrared steam laser cleaning

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