The Effects of Contamination on Semiconductor Manufacturing Yield

Abstract

The challenges associated with controlling particulate and chemical contamination to achieve high semiconductor device yields are demonstrated with data showing the influence of cleanroom air, semiconductor processes and tools, gases, chemicals, and Dl water. Because typical film thicknesses are much smaller than pattern feature sizes, defects that are as small as one hundredth of the lithographic dimension must be controlled. Scaling device dimensions by a factor of 1/3 to 1/2 will require almost a factor of 10 reduction of particulate levels in order to maintain the prescaling yield. To achieve a 78 percent yield (0.25 defects/cm2) in a typical submicron process containing 250 process steps, each step must contribute no more than 0.001 killer defects/cm2 on average. Storage of wafers for 1 hr in a Class 1 vertical laminar flow cleanroom is sufficient to reach this level. Considerably more defects are introduced in other process steps involving automated tools or chemical/gas exposure. As device dimensions are reduced, the contamination associated with liquids will become relatively more important than that from gases and cleanroom air.

Research on metallic contamination control of PFA injection molded fittings

“…For now, manufacturers have taken a wide range of measures to reduce the contamination. First, constructing a cleanroom is necessary for semiconductor manufacturing, as even the slightest bit of contamination or settling of particulate produced can ruin semiconductor production and performance 18 . Despite the fact that the people have the greatest effect on contamination, 19 modern technology has succeeded in making them a minor source of contamination in today's manufacturing environment.…”

“…First, constructing a cleanroom is necessary for semiconductor manufacturing, as even the slightest bit of contamination or settling of particulate produced can ruin semiconductor production and performance. 18 Despite the fact that the people have the greatest effect on contamination, 19 modern technology has succeeded in making them a minor source of contamination in today's manufacturing environment. Numerous means exist to isolate people and the contamination they generate from the cleanroom manufacturing environment.…”

Laser-based Adhesion Strength Measurements for Advanced Manufactured Sensor Adhesion Characterization

“…This requirement is often a barrier-to-entry for smaller research institutions that may not have their own cleanroom facility or the budget for access to pay-to-use cleanroom services [2]. Furthermore, the flexibility of device fabrication in cleanroom settings is severely reduced due to stringent contamination control requirements [3] and the production costs associated with changes to established processes [4]. Although still at its infancy, DW-based advanced manufacturing (AM) has shown potential in overcoming technical and economic barriers for prototyping and fabricating sensors and devices such as microelectromechanical systems at a large scale on a roll-to-roll basis [2].…”

Detection of SiO2 nanoparticles using triple‐quadrupole inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry for semiconductor applications

“…As the size of the semiconductor chips being manufactured is decreasing, ICP‐MS is becoming a more important technique in their analysis. Particle detection is employed in manufacturing to avoid fatal contamination of the wafers, as well as contamination of equipment, chemicals, and other production materials 8,9 . A metallic particle that is larger than the pitch size enables the flow of current between the lines, while a nonmetallic particle induces a change in the capacitance between the lines.…”