Surface contamination control through Atomically Clean Surface (ACS™) processing for semiconductor equipment parts for sub-20 nanometer nodes (Topics: CFM, DI, ER, YE)

Meeting defectivity requirements are challenging as technology nodes continue to scale down. Defect variability such as particles and residues create killer defects at the component-level and is expected to severely impact product yields at sub-20 nanometer technology nodes. Additional complexity, in the form of new processes and materials, will further challenge component-level design and performance. One approach towards Contamination Control Processing (CCP) focuses on component-level refurbishment. Quantum Global Technologies® (QGT: Quantum Clean® & ChemTrace®), a leader in the semiconductor parts cleaning and analytical business through their Atomically Clean Surface (ACS™) process, has developed new technologies aimed at exceeding OEM performance and meeting stringent defectivity requirements for sub-20 nanometer technologies. This is achieved by highly optimized parts cleaning and coating processes. This paper outlines recent advances in the ACS™ parts cleaning process by focusing on particle removal methods. This work addresses some of the major challenges and solutions towards achieving contamination-free manufacturing (CFM) in a cost-effective manner. The present work will present real examples of improved customer productivity due to part life extension and maintaining lower defects through ACS™ specialized cleaning. The paper will also present solutions and tips including coatings with superior adhesion properties and physical characteristics used to enhance chamber performance in PVD and Etch process areas to address defectivity issues at sub-20 nanometer technology nodes. In addition, the present work discusses the application of modeling through computer-aided simulation as method to reduce the cost of repetitive testing and provide accurate predictions of part recycle lifetime. Solutions provided by QuantumClean™ also help to substantially increase the number of recycle cleans possible before refurbishment is necessary.