DFS Blog | UHP Gas and Chemical Blending and Delivery Systems

Chemical Blend Uniformity and Semiconductor Process Yield

Written by Karl Urquhart | Feb 27, 2018 9:25:48 PM

Characterization and importance of chemical mix uniformity, precision, and preservation of purity levels to reduce cost, prevent rework/scrap, and increase Process yield overall.

Manufacturers place a great deal of emphasis on cost reduction, prevention of rework or scrap, and increasing overall process yield. One result has been a rise in precision and control technology innovations geared towards process chemicals uniformity.

Many focus on individual aspects of metrology for quantitative, or qualitative determination, either by off-line or inline methods, with the intent to achieve the highest productivity at the lowest cost.

As effective as metrology instruments are in their individual areas, there is need to characterize and learn the most effective ways to collectively use these technologies in concert, to produce processes that achieve the exacting requirements of the end users. These users seek to increase overall efficiency while achieving a high return on the investments put into the equipment or processes used, all while ensuring the chemicals being used are at the right assay of ingredients and quality.

To meet such needs, no one instrument or area can do the work. It is normally a concert of them. And this concert is composed through correct chemical characterization that pours into equipment control feedback loops.

In the semiconductor industry, continuously shrinking device geometries make high yield attainment increasingly difficult. The defect level performance of chemical systems is one of the critical parameters contributing to overall process yield; as evident in progressively demanding shifts in both particle and metals purity level requirements from device manufacturers.

Typical manufacturing strategies used today focus primarily on process tool defect reduction. While still very necessary, they themselves are insufficient to attain high throughput at the defect levels required.

Optimal manufacturing control strategies have developed processes and technologies that recognize the importance of process chemical uniformity, precision, and maintaining purity levels in chemical handling, blending and mixing.

Today’s chemical handling and process equipment can reduce defects and improve process yield through increased uniformity. This is the case in a variety of end uses, be it in etch, clean, lithography, CMP,  FEOL or BEOL processes. Defect control through chemical uniformity is an effective tool in the yield enhancement toolbox.

DFS enables our customers to achieve optimal process yields by assuring blend uniformity, increasing assay precision, and maintaining high-purity in the chemistries used. It’s through the use of such methodologies and technologies that DFS is able to build and design equipment that meet and exceed the requirement in uniformity, precision, and purity areas. Our approach is centered upon characterizations of the technologies we use; in the processes we place them in. It is a concert delivered specifically to meet our user's need.

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