Physical removal of nano-scale defects from surfaces

Abstract

As semiconductor device feature size shrinks to 100 nm and smaller, the removal of nano-scale defects presents a tremendous challenge to the industry. There is a need to understand the particle removal mechanisms and recognize their advantages and limitations. In this paper, a particle removal model is modified to be able to consider soft particle deformation. The effect of decreasing particle size down to the nano-scale and its effect on the practical use of present techniques in the future is discussed. The way in which the megasonic-cleaning technique works to remove nano-scale particles from flat and structured surfaces is presented.