Throughout the wafer fabrication sequence there are many points where particulate contamination must be removed from the wafer surface to ensure high yields. Some of these points include post-shallow trench etch, post-spacer etch, pre-nitride deposition, post-nitride deposition, post-Cu CMP, post-electrical probe, post-low-k via etch, and post-Cu barrier deposition. In most cases, the materials on the surface are sensitive to liquids and chemicals and require a non-etching, energetic process to achieve particle removal. Particle removal must be accomplished without causing damage to patterned structures on the wafer surface.
Benefits
- FSI has both liquid and cryogenic aerosol technologies that are tunable for maximizing removal efficiencies while avoiding structural damage.
- FSI's ANTARES® cryogenic aerosol technology is unique in that it will not etch films or alter their properties.
News
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FSI International Releases ORION® Single Wafer Cleaning System
- ORION®Single Wafer Cleaning System
- ANTARES® Single Wafer CryoKinetic System
- ZETA® Spray Cleaning System
- MERCURY® Spray Cleaning System
- MAGELLAN® Batch Immersion Cleaning System
Innovative closed-chamber design enables critical path cleaning capabilities for ultra shallow junctions, high-k/metal gates and metal capping layers at 32nm and below.
MINNEAPOLIS (November 3, 2008) — FSI International, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSII) a leading supplier of wafer processing, cleaning and surface conditioning equipment for semiconductor manufacturing, announced today the release of its new ORION® Single Wafer Cleaning System.
MoreApprecia Technology, Inc. presents at the Electronic Journal 186th Technical Symposium
OTS (September 2008) -- Apprecia Technology, Inc. presents at the Electronic Journal 186th Technical Symposium - Exhaustive Study for 2008 ULSI Surface Cleaning and Drying Technology - in Tokyo, August 28, 2008
Electronic Journal in Japan sponsors many technical symposia. Each year one of the symposia is focused on cleaning technology in IC manufacturing. In 2008, the focus of this symposium was on cleaning challenges for 45nm and 32nm technology generations.
MoreChartered Semiconductor Describes BEOL Applications of ANTARES® System Cryokinetic Aerosol Cleaning Process
OTS (July 2007) -- At the April FSI Knowledge Services Seminar™ Series in Singapore and Shanghai, China, Ms. Ling Tze Tan of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing described applications of the ANTARES® cryokinetic aerosol cleaning tool in 90nm BEOL production. Her presentation focused on cleaning after via etch and after dielectric film deposition reflecting a growing widespread concern in the industry about the potential for water and chemical damage to copper and porous dielectrics.
MoreFSI ANTARES® New Cryokinetic Cleaning System Handler Improves Throughput and Reduces Backside Particles
OTS (February 2008) -- New Edge Contact End Effectors (ECEE) and an Edge Grip Chuck (EGC) substantially reduce backside particulate contamination and improve the throughput of FSI’s ANTARES® cryokinetic cleaning systems. The ITRS Surface Preparation Roadmap has identified backside particle control as a critical issue for IC manufacturing. Currently, the ITRS is projecting the need for less than 200 backside particles larger than 0.16 microns, decreasing to a particle size of 0.14 microns for future generations.
MoreApprecia Technology’s Kenichi Itoi receives award for FSI Advanced Cu/Low-K Cleaning Paper at SEMICON Japan 2007
OTS (Febrauary 2008) -- SEMI announced that Apprecia Technology’s Kenichi Itoi, business coordinator for FSI International products, received the STS (SEMI Technology Symposium) 2007 award for presenting the paper “Cryogenic Aerosol Technology for Advanced Cu/Low-k Cleaning" during SEMICON Japan 2007.
MoreFSI Presents Papers on Yield Improvement Using Cryogenic Aerosol for BEOL Defect Removal and Wet Resist Strip Capability vs. Implant Energy at ECS
OTS (February 2008) -- FSI presented at the 10th International Symposium on Cleaning and Surface Conditioning Technology in Semiconductor Device Manufacturing at the October 2007, Electrochemical Society Meeting in Washington, D.C.
MoreITRS Timing Adjustments Affect New Surface Preparation Requirements
OTS (February 2007)
MoreFSI Collaborates With Customer to Drive Down Nitride Spacer and Silicide Defectivity
OTS (February 2007) -- FSI recently collaborated with a key customer to evaluate the ability of the ANTARES® system AspectClean™ to remove process defects without damaging sensitive gate structures in advanced technology manufacturing processes (90nm and 65nm).
MoreAMD Presents Results of Aerosol Cleaning Evaluation at October FSI EMEA Knowledge Services™ Seminar
OTS (Novemeber 2006) -- AMD’s Fab 36 presented the results of their evaluation of FSI’s ANTARES® aerosol cleaning process used to recover yield after electrical in-line testing. The results demonstrated the process’s ability to remove nearly all debris generated by testing, allowing engineers to return tested wafers to production.
MoreFSI International Receives Multiple Follow-on ANTARES® Orders from a Leading Worldwide Foundry
MINNEAPOLIS (October 17, 2006) -- FSI International, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSII) announced today that a leading Asia-based foundry has placed a repeat order for multiple ANTARES® CyroKinetic Cleaning Systems, further broadening the platform’s installed base. The order was driven by the tool’s ability to eliminate manufacturing contamination created by in-line DC parametric testing, which is reported to cause manufacturing yield losses. This foundry currently employs the ANTARES system for various FEOL and BEOL particle removal processes, and with this order is adding capacity for more in-line parametric test clean up at the 65 and 90nm technology generations. The systems are expected to ship over the next several quarters. The ANTARES systems typically range in price from $1.2 to $2.0 million, depending on configuration.
MoreANTARES® CryoKinetic Cleaning System Avoids Copper Pitting in Via Formation Process
OTS (July 2006) -- FSI’s ANTARES® CryoKinetic cleaning system uses a high-velocity argon/nitrogen cryogenic aerosol to remove surface particles and other residue. Customers have reported using the technique at many points throughout both FEOL and BEOL processes.
MoreRecover Lost Yield and Revenue Using CryoKinetic Cleaning After DC Parametric Testing
OTS (February 2006) -- The in-line DC parametric test step provides an intra-flow device measurement (typically at the first metal level) of the chip's vital parametric performance. As BEOL metallization steps become more complex and manufacturing costs rise, testing becomes even more important.
MoreFSI International Introduces New Cleaning Processes for Advanced Technology Nodes New Processes Meet Customer Needs Well Ahead of ITRS Schedule
MINNEAPOLIS (June 30, 2005) -- FSI International, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSII) today announced new cleaning processes to meet the needs of leading IC makers well ahead of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) guidelines for material loss. The ITRS calls for a maximum material loss per cleaning cycle of 0.4 angstrom at the 45nm technology node, while semiconductor manufacturers indicate their requirements are closer to 0.1 angstrom.
MoreFSI International’s ANTARES® CryoKinetic Technology Continues To Build Worldwide Momentum at the 90nm Technology Node
MINNEAPOLIS (June 21, 2005) -- FSI International, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSII) today announced strong activity in the third quarter of fiscal 2005 from leading IC manufacturers in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and the United States for its ANTARES® CryoKinetic Cleaning Systems.
MoreEuropean IC Manufacturer Orders Multiple ANTARES® CryoKinetic Cleaning Systems Following Successful Evaluation Program
MINNEAPOLIS (November 9, 2004) -- FSI International, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSII) today announced that a leading European IC manufacturer has purchased multiple ANTARES® CX CryoKinetic Cleaning Systems after a successful demonstration of defect removal in an on-site evaluation program. The systems will be used on advanced devices for both front-end-of-line (FEOL) and back-end-of-line (BEOL) defect removal on planar and surface patterned structures. Revenue for these systems is expected to be recorded during the first half of fiscal 2005.
MoreFSI International Surface Preparation Products Gain Momentum in Asia
MINNEAPOLIS (September 14, 2004) -- FSI International, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSII) today announced that its surface preparation technology platforms are experiencing broad adoption in Asia, with sales to customers in the region accounting for nearly 40 percent of all orders in the first nine months of fiscal year 2004, up from 11 percent in the first nine months of fiscal 2003.
MorePublications
“Yield Improvement Using Cryogenic Aerosol for BEOL Defect Removal”
By: Jeffrey M. Lauerhaas and Yav San Kok, FSI International; and Ameer Hamzah and Ling Tze Tan, Chartered Semiconductor Manfacturing Ltd.
A dry, cryogenic aerosol has been integrated into an advanced copper low k dielectric process flow for defect removal. The cryogenic aerosol is able to remove particulate defects from the exposed substrate materials without etching, charging or altering the conducting or insulating properties of the exposed materials.
Request Article“Preparation, Characterization, and Damage-free Processing of Advanced Multiple-Gate FETs”
By: Jeffrey M. Lauerhaas, FSI International, Rinn Cleavelin and Weize Xiong, Texas Instruments, Koki Mochizuki, Kara Sherman, Hucheng Lee and Brian Clappin, KLA-Tencor and Thomas Schulz, Klaus Schruefer, Infineon Technologies
Advanced transistor structures, such as the Multiple-Gate FET (MuGFET), offer improved shortchannel effects control compared to the bulk-Si MOSFET [1]. Hence they may be adopted in CMOS technology as early as the 32nm technology generation [2]. MuGFET current conduction is on the sidewalls of silicon fins.
Request Article“45nm Node Wafer Cleaning Techniques For Meeting the Challenges of Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing”
By: Jeffery Butterbaugh, FSI International and Charles Gould, Entegris
On December 13, 2005, the most recent version of International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) was introduced during a public conference in Seoul, Korea. From the presentations regarding semiconductor design and manufacturing, it is certain that the future of semiconductor manufacturing will continue to present significant challenges for both front-end-of-line (FEOL) and back-end-of-line (BEOL) surface preparation and critical cleaning steps.
Request Article“Cryogenic Aerosol for Zero-Damage Cleaning”
By: Jeffrey Lauerhaas and Carlos Morote, FSI International, and Jean-Phillippe Plé, Altis
Request Article“Advanced Cryogenic Aerosol Cleaning: Application to Damage Free Cleaning of Sensitive Structured Wafers”
By: Jeffery M. Lauerhaas, James F. Weygand and Greg P. Thomes
Request Article“Non-Damaging Particle Removal Using Cryogenic Aerosols”
By: Thomas J. Wagener, James F. Weygand and Greg P. Thomes
Request Article"Rinsing: A Critical Process in Particle Removal"
By: Kurt Christenson
Rinsing is a critical process in particle removal. This paper examines fundamental mechanisms of rinsing and applies these principals to the development of ramped rinsing in spray cleaning. Results include better particle removal and reduced water consumption.
“Particle Removal Challenges and Solutions for the Nano-Technology Era”
By: Thomas J. Wagener and Jeffery W. Butterbaugh
As the particle removal from wafer surfaces becomes more difficult at more advanced technology nodes, cryogenic aerosols are being adopted by an increasing number of IC makers. We elaborate on four aspects of the cryogenic aerosol process that are behind this trend – The does not alter the properties of exposed materials, is compatible with fragile structures, offers superior particle removal efficiency especially on hydrophobic surfaces, and has demonstrated increased final yields in production at 180nm and 130nm.
Request Article“Improved Yields for the Nano-Technology Era Using Cryogenic Aerosols"
By: Thomas J. Wagener (FSI) and Kazushi Kawaguchi (Fujitsu)
This paper describes field usage of cryogenic aerosol processing on 180nm and 130nm devices. Significant advantages of this particle removal technology is demonstrated and discussed.
"FSI Applications Note (1211-ANS-0403)"
The CryoKinetic technology provides a unique method for particle removal — all-dry, non-reactive, and brushless, customers find applications in many insertion points.
Request Article“Using a Cryogenic Aerosol Process to Clean Copper, Low-k Materials Without Damage"
Cryogenic aerosol of argon and nitrogen has been shown effective at particle removal and yield enhancement for interconnect fabrication. Cryogenic aerosol is particularly useful with copper and low-k dielectrics because it achieves efficient particle removal while avoiding many of the problems of traditional liquid chemical cleans. The cleaning efficiency of cryogenic aerosol has been demonstrated on polished surfaces and surfaces with open vias while having no effect on low-k films. Low-k, very low-k, and ultra low-k (porous) films have been investigated using FTIR and ellipsometry.
“Enhancing Yield Through Argon/Nitrogen Cryokinetic Aerosol Cleaning After Via Processing”
By: Jeffery W. Butterbaugh, Steve Loper and Greg Thomes, FSI International; and Dale Sheu, Texas Instruments, published in MICRO, June 1999