Activated Silica Purifier for Silane Gas Impurity Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in achieving ultra-high purity of silane gases for semiconductor manufacturing, as existing purification methods often fail to remove moisture and other impurities to the required parts-per-billion levels without decomposing poly-metal hydrides, and higher metal hydrides are not efficiently removed, affecting the quality of silicon films.
Innovation Solution
The use of activated silica as a purifier material, heated to temperatures above 100°C in a dry atmosphere, which is then contacted with the hydrogen-containing gases to reduce impurity concentrations without decomposing the poly-metal hydrides, utilizing a silica to alumina ratio greater than 1000 to minimize decomposition of trisilane into smaller silanes, and employing systems that integrate this process to generate purified hydrogen-containing materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional purification materials are used to remove moisture from silane gases, then moisture levels are reduced, but poly-metal hydrides are decomposed into smaller hydrides
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the purification material by specifying a silica-to-alumina ratio greater than 1000, and controls the activation temperature parameter below 100°C. These parameter adjustments modify the purification material's properties to achieve moisture removal while preventing poly-metal hydride decomposition, resolving the contradiction between purification effectiveness and material integrity.
2Manufacturing precision
If higher metal hydrides are removed from silane gases, then purity is improved, but the purification process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a single purification material composition (silica-based with silica-to-alumina ratio > 1000) that simultaneously performs multiple functions: removing moisture, eliminating higher metal hydrides, and preventing decomposition of poly-metal hydrides. This multi-functional approach achieves comprehensive gas purification without requiring multiple separate processing steps, thereby reducing overall process complexity while improving gas purity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach achieves a significant reduction in moisture levels by 90% or more and effectively removes higher metal hydrides, maintaining the integrity of the poly-metal hydrides, thus ensuring the purity and quality of silicon films for modern semiconductor applications.
Implementation Method 1
the purifier material comprises silica... the activated silica reduces a concentration of one or more impurity from the starting hydrogen-containing material to form the purified hydrogen-containing material
Implementation Method 2
The silica may be heated at temperature of about 100° C. or more in a dry atmosphere to form activated silica
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of purifying hydrogen-containing materials are described. The methods may include the steps of providing a purifier material comprising silica. The silica may be heated at temperature of about 100° C. or more in a dry atmosphere to form activated silica. The activated silica may be contacted with a starting hydrogen-containing material, where the activated silica reduces a concentration of one or more impurity from the starting hydrogen-containing material to form the purified hydrogen-containing material, and where the activated silica does not decompose the purified hydrogen-containing material.