Development of a novel cleaner for contaminant removal in equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing which reduces time and solvent waste

The control of wet particles (WPs) is more stringent as the resolution of photolithography increases, especially in advanced photolithography such as extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). Owing to continuing advancements in technology and resolution, it is expected that WPs smaller than the EUVL photoresist (PR) pattern sizes will need to be eliminated from silicon wafer surfaces in the near future. WPs are mainly comprised of micro/nano bubbles or organic/inorganic contaminants. The contaminants are eluted from equipment components, such as liquid filters and tubing, prior to the coating process. Flushing with conventional solvents used in photolithography eliminates WPs, however it consumes a great deal of time and solvent. TRICTM-007, a novel cleaner, was developed to remove contaminants effectively and efficiently. A PR coating equipment with a point-of-use filter installed was used for testing. Flushing with TRICTM-007 followed by a conventional solvent allowed for shorter flushing times relative to flushing with solvent alone. In addition, the amount of solvent needed to flush the equipment after using TRICTM-007 was significantly less than that of using only solvent. Furthermore, the photolithographic performance of the PR was tested by running wafer repeatability test. Tests using a filter flushed with the cleaner followed by solvent were compared to tests using a filter flushed with solvent alone. All results were similar and within specifications, proving that TRICTM- 007 did not affect the quality of the PR.