Future directions in controlling particle contamination in semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing: an industry survey

Rapid progress in integrated circuit technology and the rising cost of wafer fabrication makes contamination control a critical issue in the semiconductor industry. This paper describes the results of an international survey of 750 contamination control specialists in the semiconductor fabrication and equipment industry. The purpose of the survey is to assess (1) the current problems in sub-micron IC manufacturing; (2) emerging technologies to deal with these problems; and (3) the potential of new solutions, such as minienvironments, to emerge as a significant alternative approach to conventional cleanrooms. The latter question is of particular interest. The survey examines current opinion on minienvironments and identifies the major obstacles toward the adoption and implementation of the standard mechanical interface (SMIF).