• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.22-28
• /
• 2017

The result of stripping process for the removal of the post etch/ash Photoresist (PR) residue on an aluminum patterned wafer by using supercritical $CO_2$ ($sc-CO_2$) mixture, was investigated by scanning of electron microscope (SEM) inspection of wafer, measuring the cloud points and visual observation of the state of $sc-CO_2$ mixtures. It was found that $sc-CO_2$ mixtures were made by mixing additives and $sc-CO_2$ should form homogeneous and transparent phase (HTP) in order to effectively and uniformly remove the post etch/ash PR residue on the aluminum patterned wafer using them. The additives were formulated by mixing and co-solvents like an amine compound and fluorosurfactants used as HTP agents, and the PR residue on the wafer were able to be rapidly and effectively removed using the $sc-CO_2$ mixture of HTP. The five kinds of additives were formulated by the recipe of mixing co-solvents and surfactants, which were able to remove PR residue on the wafer by mixing with $sc-CO_2$ at the stripping temperature range from 40 to $80^{\circ}C$. The five kinds of $sc-CO_2$ mixtures which were named as PR removers were made, which were able to form HTP within the above described stripping temperature. The cloud points of $sc-CO_2$ mixtures were measured to find correlation between them and HTP.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.55-60
• /
• 2017

The supercritical $CO_2$ (sc-$CO_2$) mixture and the sc-$CO_2$-based Photoresist(PR) stripping(SCPS) process were applied to the removal of the post etch/ash PR residue on aluminum patterned wafers and the results were observed by scanning of electron microscope(SEM). In the case of MDII wafers, the carbonized PR was able to be effectively removed without pre-stripping by oxygen plasma ashing by using sc-$CO_2$ mixture containing the optimum formulated additives at the proper pressure and temperature, and the same result was also able to be obtained in the case of HDII wafer. It was found that the efficiency of SCPS of ion implanted wafer improved as the temperature of SCPS was high, so a very large amount of MEA in the sc-$CO_2$ mixture could be reduced if the temperature could be increased at condition that a process permits, and the ion implanted photoresist(IIP) on the wafer was able to be removed completely without pre-treatment of plasma ashing by using the only 1 step SCPS process. By using SCPS process, PR polymers formed on sidewalls of metal conductive layers such as aluminum films, titanium and titanium nitride films by dry etching and ashing processes were removed effectively with the minimization of the corrosion of the metal conductive layers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 1999.05a
• /
• pp.501-504
• /
• 1999

In the shallow trench isolation(STI) chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) process, the key issues are the optimized thickness control within- wafer-non-uniformity, and the possible defects such as nitride residue and pad oxide damage. These defects after STI CMP process were discussed to accomplish its optimum process condition. To understand its optimum process condition, overall STI related processes including reverse moat etch, trench etch, STI filling and STI CMP were discussed. It is represented that the nitride residue can be occurred in the condition of high post CMP thickness and low trench depth. In addition there are remaining oxide on the moat surface after reverse moat etch. It means that reverse moat etching process can be the main source of nitride residue. Pad oxide damage can be caused by over-polishing and high trench depth.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 1993.05a
• /
• pp.45-45
• /
• 1993

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
• /
• 2007.10a
• /
• pp.747-750
• /
• 2007

This study proposes that chlorine residue after metal etch as the source of metal corrosion, and charges should be removed by optimizing etch, PR strip and cleaning condition. Charges distributed along the metal line acts as a source of tungsten (W) plug corrosion when associated with following cleaning solution. In cleaning process after metal etch and PR strip, chemical selection is significantly important in terms of metal corrosion. Optimal corrosion preventive PH, no metal attack (choice of optimal inhibitants), high by product removal efficiency and optimal de ionized water treatment condition is critical to the metal corrosion prevention.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.59 no.4
• /
• pp.632-638
• /
• 2021

With the copper interconnection in the semiconductor process, complex residues including copper oxide, fluoride, and polymeric fluorocarbon are formed by plasma etching. In this study, a cleaning solution was prepared with a component having an amine group (-NH₂) and a carboxyl group (-COOH), and the characteristics of removing post-etch residues in the copper wiring process were analyzed. In the cleaning solution containing an amine group, the length of the component substituted with nitrogen and the length of the carbon chain influenced the cleaning effect, and the etching rate of copper oxide increased as the pH of the cleaning solution increased. The activity of the amine group is in the basic region, and the activity of the carboxyl group is in the acidic region, and the cleaning process proceeds through complex formation with copper or copper oxide in each region.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.93-99
• /
• 1999

Surface polymer layer formed on the silicon wafer during the oxide overetching using $C_4F_8$/ helicon wave plasmas and their characteristics were investigated using spectroscopic elipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Overetch percentage and dc-self bias voltage were varied to investigate the effects on the characteristics of the polymers remaining on the overetched silicon surface. The increase of bias voltage from -80 volts to -120 volts increased the C/F ratio and carbon bondings such as C-C, $C-CF_x$/, and C-Si in the polymer while reducing the thickness of the polymer layer. However, the increase of the overetch percentage from 50% to 100% did not change the composition of the polymer layer and the carbon bondings in the polymer layer remained same even though it increased the polymer thickness. The polymer layer formed at the higher dc-self bias voltage was more difficult to be removed by the following various post-etch treatments compared to that formed at the longer overetch percentage.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.548-554
• /
• 2016

In this study, semi-aqueous solutions containing carboxylic acids such as oxalic acid (OA), lactic acid (LA) and citric acid (CA) were formulated for the removal of copper etching residues produced at the interconnection process, and their characteristics were analyzed. Carboxylic acids in the solutions were apt to form various copper complexes according to the value of pH. Semi-aqueous solution containing 10 wt% CA showed the lowest etching rate of copper in the range from pH2 to pH7 and the highest selectivity in the range of pH 2 to pH 4. However, the cleaning solution containing 10 wt% LA revealed the superior selectivity at the range from pH 5 to pH 7. Appropriate selection of carboxylic acid should be required to improve the performance of cleaning solution. In the case of CA, the etching selectivity of copper oxide complex to copper was increased with the concentration of CA in the solution, when the solutions contain over 5 wt% CA, the copper interconnection layer has a metallic copper surface more than 88% in the area. The result shows that CA contained semi-aqueous solution has a relatively good cleaning ability.