Chasing the Perfect Pattern
The electronic device designs entering production today present greater manufacturing complexity to deliver the performance and capabilities our digital lives require. Flaws in photolithography patterns have always had a negative impact on yield. It is becoming more imperative than ever for semiconductor fabricators to prevent these pattern flaws to ensure the functionality and reliability of these devices. Here’s how they’re doing it.
The Lithographer's Toolkit
This is a critical time for lithographers, as there will be even more filtration choices to consider as part of their toolkits. Collaboration between filter suppliers, photochemical suppliers, and lithographers is critical to understanding filtration performance and making smart choices early in the process.
Featured Pictogram
The factors that can negatively influence lithography patterns include the purity of the chemicals, water, gases, as well as ambient and tool air that contacts wafers during transport and active processing areas. Material compatibility, temperature, humidity, and overall cleanliness of the tool and ambient environments also influence patterning throughout the chip manufacturing process. Controlling these influences is critical to creating the intended circuit patterns.
Featured White Paper
Chasing the Perfect Pattern
This paper examines the ways lithographers can improve the integrity of the patterns created to increase wafer yield, raise circuit performance, and extend device longevity. Some areas are well known, while others may be outside of the lithographers areas of expertise.
Featured Technical Note
Next Generation Ultra Clean Nylon Filter for On-Wafer Defects Reduction Enhancement
Read about Entegris applications engineer Kanjanawadee Shiraishi team’s research to develop an ultraclean nylon filter with lower levels of metallic and organic extractables in organic and acidic solvents. This reduces wafer defects in photolithography applications. Furthermore, the new filter’s high stability and low pH extractables suggest it can be adopted to certain acidic photochemicals such as used in SiARC and BARC applications.
Pattern Integrity Improvement Solutions
A first of their kind, Purasol™ solvent purifiers remove a wide variety of metal microcontaminants found in organic solvents used in photoresist applications. Using uniquely tailored membrane technology, these versatile purifiers reduce defects in critical process streams.
Revolutionary membrane technology to remove critical photochemical contaminants by enhancing the native retention mechanisms of each membrane type to match the needs of each chemistry. This technology can be applied to various filters to achieve maximum contaminant removal and increase device performance.
Best-in-class, contamination control solution in advanced photochemical applications. A unique, cage-like morphology membrane reduces on-wafer defectivity while providing sufficient flow and superior filter cleanliness. The polyimide construction offers broad chemical compatibility with photoresist, photochemicals, and acidic chemicals.
IntelliGen® photochemical dispense systems use state-of-the-art, two-stage dispense technology with a built-in Impact® 8G filter manifold to enable independent filtration and dispense. Dispense systems are available for low-, medium-, and high-viscosity fluids. Communication systems enable you to network pumps for efficient process monitoring.
Chemicals can be susceptible to particle contamination that may be introduced during chemical transport or transfer from bulk chemical containers to smaller drums or transportation packs. Mitigate this risk with clean, contamination-controlled NOWPak® liner-based bottle and canister systems that help protect valuable materials throughout filling, transporting, and dispensing operations.
GateKeeper® automatic regeneration gas purification systems remove gaseous contaminants down to the part-per-trillion level. They provide a cost-effective way to manage gas supply purity and prevent contamination in your process without damaging tools.
Control contaminants in the entire fab and protect both process equipment and wafers from the damaging effects of AMC with VaporSorb™ filters. Designed from the ground up for gas-phase contamination removal and low outgassing, these chemically-clean filters enable the latest technology nodes.
Featured Brochure
BrochureThis brochure features pattern integrity improvement solutions that help solve lithography challenges by enabling lithographers to control system, material, and process variables in their pursuit of a repeatable, flawless, "perfect pattern".
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