Mallinckrodt, Inc.

Mallinckrodt Baker, Inc.

Other

Avantor Performance Materials, Inc.

David C Skee

George Schwartzkopf

Joseph M Ilardi

Sean Michael Kane

Karen E Trovalli

Aqueous, silicate free, cleaning compositions of about pH 9 or below and method of using the cleaning compositions for cleaning microelectronic substrates, which compositions are able to essentially completely clean such substrates and produce essentially no metal corrosion of the metal elements of such substrates. The aqueous cleaning compositions of this invention have (a) water, (b) at least one of ammonium and quaternary ammonium ions and (c) at least one of hypophosphite (HPO) and/or phosphite (HPO) ions. The cleaning compositions also may contain fluoride ions. Optionally, the composition may contain other components such as organic solvents, oxidizing agent, surfactants, corrosion inhibitors and metal complexing agents.

Stripping and cleaning compositions for microelectronics

The invention provides alkaline compositions useful in the microelectronics industry for stripping or cleaning semiconductor wafer substrates by removing photoresist residues and other unwanted contaminants. The compositions contain (a) one or more bases and (b) one or more metal corrosion inhibiting metal halides of the formula: WMXwhere M is a metal selected from the group Si, Ge, Sn, Pt, P, B, Au, Ir, Os, Cr, Ti, Zr, Rh, Ru, and Sb; X is a halide selected from F, Cl, Br and I; W is selected from H, to an alkali or alkaline earth metal, and a metal ion-free hydroxide base moiety; y is a numeral of from 4 to 6 depending on the metal halide; and z is a numeral of 1, 2 or 3.

Alkaline, post plasma etch/ash residue removers and photoresist stripping compositions containing metal-halide corrosion inhibitors

The invention provides aqueous alkaline compositions useful in the microelectronics industry for stripping or cleaning semiconductor wafer substrates by removing photoresist residues and other unwanted contaminants. The compositions typically contain (a) one or more metal ion-free bases at sufficient amounts to produce a pH of about 10-13 and one or more bath stabilizing agents having at least one pKa in the range of 10-13 to maintain this pH during use; (b) optionally, about 0.01% to about 5% by weight (expressed as % SiO ) of a water-soluble metal ion-free silicate; (c) optionally, about 0.01% to about 10% by weight of one or more chelating agents; (d) optionally, about 0.01% to about 80% by weight of one or more water-soluble organic co-solvents; and (e) optionally, about 0.01% to about 1% by weight of a water-soluble surfactant.

Stabilized alkaline compositions for cleaning microelectronic substrates

The invention provides aqueous alkaline compositions useful in the microelectronics industry for stripping or cleaning semiconductor wafer substrates by removing photoresist residues and other unwanted contaminants. The compositions typically contain (a) one or more metal ion-free bases at sufficient amounts to produce a pH of about 11-13 and one or more bath stabilizing agents to maintain this pH during use; (b) optionally, about 0.01% to about 5% by weight (expressed as % SiO ) of a water-soluble metal ion-free silicate; (c) optionally, about 0.01% to about 10% by weight of one or more chelating agents; (d) optionally, about 0.01% to about 80% by weight of one or more water-soljuble organic co-solvents; and (e) optionally, about 0.01% to about 1% by weight of a water-soluble surfactant.

The invention provides aqueous alkaline compositions useful in the microelectronics industry for stripping or cleaning semiconductor wafer substrates by removing photoresist residues and other unwanted contaminants. The compositions typically contain (a) one or more metal ion-free bases at sufficient amounts to produce a pH of about 10-13 and one or more bath stabilizing agents having at least one pKa in the range of 10-13 to maintain this pH during use; (b) optionally, about 0.01% to about 5% by weight (expressed as % SiO.sub.2) of a water-soluble metal ion-free silicate; (c) optionally, about 0.01% to about 10% by weight of one or more chelating agents; (d) optionally, about 0.01% to about 80% by weight of one or more water-soluble organic co-solvents; and (e) optionally, about 0.01% to about 1% by weight of a water-soluble surfactant.

Silicate-containing alkaline compositions for cleaning microelectronic substrates

Microelectronics wafer substrate surfaces are cleaned to remove metal contamination while maintaining wafer substrate surface smoothness by contacting the wafer substrate surfaces with an aqueous cleaning solution of an alkaline, metal ion-free base and a polyhydroxy compound containing from two to ten --OH groups and having the formula: ##STR1## wherein or in which --R--, --R.sup.1 --, --R.sup.2 -- and --R.sup.3 -- are alkylene radicals containing two to ten carbon atoms, x is a whole integer of from 1 to 4 and y is a whole integer of from 1 to 8, with the proviso that the number of carbon atoms in the polyhydroxy compound does not exceed ten, and wherein the water present in the aqueous cleaning solution is at least about 40% by weight of the cleaning composition.

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Bethlehem, PA, United States of America

David C Skee