Semiconductor Filters: Key to Clean and Pure Chip Manufacturing
There is a wide variety of electronic gases, which can be divided into two categories based on their usage: electronic specialty gases and electronic bulk gases.
Types of Electronic Gases
Electronic Bulk Gases Electronic bulk gases are generally used as environmental protection gases and carrier gases in the production of electronic industries. They are commonly used in processes such as high-temperature thermal annealing, protective gases, cleaning gases, and other stages of production.
Electronic Specialty Gases Electronic specialty gases are widely used in various process flows for the manufacture of semiconductor?chips and LCD panel materials, such as cleaning, deposition, photolithography, etching, ion implantation, film formation, and doping.
Importance of Electronic Gases in Semiconductor Manufacturing
In semiconductor materials, electronic gases are the second-largest market demand after large silicon wafers. Specialty gases account for about 14% of the material costs in wafer manufacturing, and they are involved in almost every stage of integrated circuit production. These gases have a significant impact on the performance, integration, and yield of integrated circuits, earning them the title of the "blood" and "food" of semiconductor manufacturing.
Impact of Gas Purity on Semiconductor Production
The purity of electronic gases affects the quality, performance, integration, technical specifications, and yield of wafers and electronic components. If the impurity content is too high, it can lead to product quality issues in downstream batches, and in severe cases, it can cause contamination across the entire production line, resulting in significant losses.
Working Principles of Semiconductor Gas Filtration
The working principle of semiconductor gas filtration?can mainly be classified into surface filtration, deep filtration, and cake filtration, depending on the materials used.
Surface Filtration
The main filtering material inside the filter is a single-layer or double-layer PTFE membrane structure. These structures act like a fine sieve, where particles larger than the pore size of the membrane are directly intercepted as the gas passes through.
Deep Filtration
In deep filtration, the filtering medium has a three-dimensional pore structure that can capture solid particles smaller than the pores, and even particles much smaller than the pore size can be trapped within the medium.
The filtration mechanism for deep filtration involves several particle capture mechanisms:
1. Direct Capture:?Solid particles pass through the medium's particle layer along the fluid flow lines. The larger the particle diameter relative to the filtering medium, the greater the probability of interception.
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2. Inertial Deposition:?As solid particles move with the flow lines, inertia causes them to collide with the filtering medium, leading to capture.
3. Diffusion Effect:?Due to Brownian motion, particles continuously collide and diffuse, increasing the likelihood of being captured by the filtering medium.
4. Gravitational Deposition:?Particles settle on the filtering material due to gravity.
5. Electrostatic Adsorption:?Impurity particles typically carry a negative charge, which interacts with the filtering material, creating an adsorption force that deposits the particles inside the filtering medium.
Cake Filtration
In the initial stage of filtration, the filtering medium traps particles larger than its pores. As smaller particles bridge the pores, a cake layer forms, which enhances filtration efficiency. However, prolonged use may cause clogging, requiring periodic cleaning to maintain optimal filtration performance.
Trends in Semiconductor Gas Filtration
In many cases, multiple filtration mechanisms work sequentially and synergistically. The combination depends on particle size, micropore size, and gas flow characteristics.
With the advancement of chip manufacturing from 32nm in 2010 to the current 3nm, the required purity of specialty gases has increased significantly. As chip processes approach atomic-scale construction, even the slightest impurity can compromise product quality, necessitating ultra-high-purity gas filtration.
Gas Purity Levels and Application Areas
Ensuring Quality and Reliability
Membrane Solutions' semiconductor?gas filtration products undergo comprehensive testing procedures before leaving the factory, ensuring they meet customer requirements. The company offers custom development to meet specific client needs, providing continuous and stable gas filtration services.
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