Sulfonic Acid Polymer Cleaning Agent for Semiconductor Metal Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning agents for semiconductor components after chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) fail to adequately remove metal impurities from the components, and further, these agents themselves contain metal impurities that can contaminate the semiconductor devices, necessitating additional steps for purification.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning agent comprising a sulfonic acid group-containing polymer with restricted metal content, specifically Na, Al, K, Ca, and Fe, at levels not exceeding 0.7 ppm, is developed to minimize residual metal impurities on semiconductor components, utilizing a polymerization process with controlled metal content and wetted element materials resistant to metal elution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional cleaning agent with sulfonic acid polymer is used to remove metal impurities from semiconductor components, then polishing particles can be removed, but metal impurities from the cleaning agent itself contaminate the semiconductor components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by strictly controlling the metal content parameters in the cleaning agent formulation. Specifically, it limits Na to 0.01-1.0 ppm, Al to 0.01-1.0 ppm, K to 0.01-1.0 ppm, Ca to 0.01-1.0 ppm, and Fe to 0.01-1.0 ppm, thereby transforming the cleaning agent into a low-metal-content product that removes impurities without adding contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes metal impurities from the cleaning agent system through purification processes. It specifically extracts harmful metal ions (Na, Al, K, Ca, Fe) from the sulfonic acid polymer solution, separating them from the cleaning agent matrix to achieve ultra-low metal content levels suitable for semiconductor cleaning.
2Manufacturing precision
If additional purification steps are added to remove metal impurities from semiconductor components, then cleaning quality improves, but process complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-purifying the cleaning agent before use, removing metal impurities from the cleaning agent itself during its preparation stage. This preliminary purification ensures that the cleaning agent is inherently low in metal content, eliminating the need for additional post-cleaning purification steps on the semiconductor components.
3Manufacturing precision
If metal content in cleaning agent is reduced to below 0.7 ppm, then semiconductor component quality improves, but cleaning agent manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by selecting specific sulfonic acid polymers with inherently low metal content and using them as the base cleaning agent. This intermediary substance (the purified sulfonic acid polymer) serves as a bridge that provides effective cleaning while maintaining ultra-low metal content, simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
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
The cleaning agent effectively reduces metal impurities on semiconductor components, eliminating the need for additional purification steps and ensuring high-quality semiconductor components without increased environmental load from chemical usage.
Implementation Method 1
a sulfonic acid group-containing polymer, wherein a content of at least one kind of metal selected from the group consisting of Na, Al, K, Ca and Fe is not more than 0.7 ppm
Implementation Method 2
metal components contained in the cleaning agents themselves can cause an increase in metal impurities on the semiconductor components after cleaning
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor cleaning agent containing a sulfonic acid group-containing polymer, wherein a content of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Na, Al, K, Ca and Fe is 0.7 ppm or less.