Managing and controlling contamination in an advanced 8" CMOS pilot line

In this paper we will elaborate on experience that has been built up at IMECs class 1 R&D fab, based on a scheme for contamination control that allows to safely and simultaneously introduce a multitude of contaminants in a single tool park and requiring only limited means of contamination dedicated tool allocation. Emphasis will be put on Cu/low k related research. Details will be given on various aspects, ranging from the employed specs, operational strategy and allocation, over classification schemes for various contaminants, to long-term monitoring.