Tokyo Electron Limited

Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.

Ppt Technologies, LLC

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Supercritical Systems, Inc.

William H Mullee

Glenn A Roberson, Jr

Marc De Leeuwe

Michael Jones

Bentley J Palmer

Maximilian Albert Biberger

Paul Schilling

Thomas J Grebinski

James E Currie

Ann Nguyen

Glen Jenkins

Richard Brewer

A chemical distribution system having improved organic solvent fluid purity and consistency includes a vessel containing ion-exchange media positioned within a fluid flow pathway such that the organic solvent fluid passes through the ion-exchange media, thereby effecting removal of undesired impurities. Different embodiments of the invention position the vessel at varying locations within the fluid flow pathway. The chemical distribution system also preferably includes a return chemical flow pathway that recirculates purified organic solvent fluid through the ion-exchange media-containing vessel and thereby enables the system operator to conduct incremental adjustment of the solvent purity until a desired overall purity is attained.

Purification of organic solvent fluids

A method of post chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) cleaning to remove a CMP residue from a surface of an object is disclosed. The object is placed within a pressure chamber. The pressure chamber is pressurized. A supercritical carbon dioxide process is performed to remove a residual CMP residue from the surface of the object. The pressure chamber is vented.

Removal of CMP and post-CMP residue from semiconductors using supercritical carbon dioxide process

A method of removing a photoresist or a photoresist residue from a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The semiconductor substrate with the photoresist or the photoresist residue on a surface of the semiconductor substrate is placed within a pressure chamber. The pressure chamber is then pressurized. Supercritical carbon dioxide and a stripper chemical are introduced to the pressure chamber. The supercritical carbon dioxide and the stripper chemical are maintained in contact with the photoresist or the photoresist residue until the photoresist or the photoresist residue is removed from the semiconductor substrate. The pressure chamber is then flushed and vented.

Removal of photoresist and photoresist residue from semiconductors using supercritical carbon dioxide process

A method and system for separating impurities, such as large abrasive particles and foreign matter from an abrasive polishing slurry prior to a Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) procedure performed on a surface of a semiconductor wafer. Impurities greater than about 25 microns are removed by an initial filtration process. The filtrate is then introduced to a solid bowl, sedimentation-type centrifuge to remove particles greater than 0.5 microns thereby providing a polishing slurry for final utilization in a CMP procedure that reduces damage to the surface of the polished semiconductor wafer.

Preparation of high performance silica slurry using a centrifuge

A method of removing inorganic contamination from dielectric condensate precursor fluids and silicate esters, such as tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), methyltriethoxyorthosilicate (MTEOS), hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), methyl silsesquioxane (MSQ), polyarylene ether, benzocyclobutene (BCB), or OSG, includes obtaining a commercial grade fluid having up to 10,000 ppb individual metallic contaminants; converting the sodium form of one or more macroporous ion exchange resin beds to a hydrogen form; converting the chloride form of one or more macroporous ion exchange resin beds to a hydroxide form; drying the macroporous ion exchange resin beds to remove substantially all water from the ion exchange resin beds; passing fluids through the ion exchange resin beds one or more times by recirculating all or a portion of the fluid to obtain a purified fluid having less than 1 ppb of individual metallic contaminants, less than 10 ppb of boron contaminants, and less than 1 ppb of chloride contaminants; and collecting the purified fluid product within a container to prevent the subsequent addition of contaminants.

Ion exchange purification of dielectric condensate precursor fluids and silicate esters such as tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)

A method of removing Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) residue from a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The semiconductor substrate with the CMP residue on a surface is placed within a pressure chamber. The pressure chamber is then pressurized. Supercritical carbon dioxide and a solvent are introduced into the pressure chamber. The supercritical carbon dioxide and the chemical are maintained in contact with the semiconductor substrate until the CMP residue is removed from the semiconductor substrate. The pressure chamber is then flushed and vented.

Removal of CMP residue from semiconductor substrate using supercritical carbon dioxide process

A method of removing photoresist and residue from a substrate begins by maintaining supercritical carbon dioxide, an amine, and a solvent in contact with the substrate so that the amine and the solvent at least partially dissolve the photoresist and the residue. Preferably, the amine is a tertiary amine. Preferably, the solvent is selected from the group consisting of DMSO, EC, NMP, acetyl acetone, BLO, acetic acid, DMAC, PC, and a mixture thereof. Next, the photoresist and the residue are removed from the vicinity of the substrate. Preferably, the method continues with a rinsing step in which the substrate is rinsed in the supercritical carbon dioxide and a rinse agent. Preferably, the rinse agent is selected from the group consisting of water, alcohol, a mixture thereof, and acetone. In an alternative embodiment, the amine and the solvent are replaced with an aqueous fluoride.

Removal of photoresist and residue from substrate using supercritical carbon dioxide process

A planarization composition is set forth for chemical mechanical planarization of dielectric layers for semiconductor manufacture. The composition comprises spherical silica particles having an average diameter of from 30 nm to about 400 nm, and a narrow range of particle sizes, wherein about 90% of the particles is within 20% of the average particle diameter. The composition includes a liquid carrier comprising up to about 9% alcohol and an amine hydroxide in the amount of about 0.2 to about 9% by weight. The pH of the composition is in the range of about 9 to about 11.5, and the remainder of the solution is water. The composition has low amounts of metal ions, and the composition is used for thinning, polishing and planarizing interlayer dielectric thin films, shallow trench isolation structures, and isolation of gate structures. The invention also comprises methods for using the planarization composition in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Planarization compositions and methods for removing interlayer dielectric films

A commercially available solvent, such as a stripping chemical and/or an organic solvent, is supported by supercritical CO,to remove a resist, its residue, and/or an organic contaminant off the surface of a semiconductor wafer. Supercritical CO,has a high solvency which increases with pressure. The supercritical CO,permits a tremendous reduction in reaction time and amount of chemical utilized for the resist removal process. In a preferred embodiment, the wafer is exposed to the CO,and chemical mixture in a process chamber heated to a temperature of 20 to 80&deg; C. at a pressure of 1050 to 6000 psig for a period of 10 seconds to 15 minutes.

Removal of resist or residue from semiconductors using supercritical carbon dioxide

Removal of CMP residue from semiconductors using supercritical carbon dioxide process

A process for obtaining an ultra-high purity aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution according to the invention includes the steps of reacting highly pure, typically electronics grade, ammonia (NH.sub.3) with ultrapure water (upw) under conditions effective to produce an ultra-high purity stream of aqueous ammonium hydroxide (NH.sub.4 OH) which is available for immediate use in a wide variety of applications especially those requiring high purity aqueous solutions of ammonium hydroxide.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

William H Mullee