High purity mixtures for cleaning etching tools
Within the production process of semiconductors, one process step is the etching process. Within this step a structure is etched into the semiconductors. The step takes place in a so called etcher.
The etched material is also deposited on the wall of the etching tool and therefore a separate process to clean this tool is required. In most of the cases it is cleaned with NF3, but there are etchers on the market using F2/N2 mixtures with high purity.
The mixtures are removing SiO2 and Si3N4 compounds in an environmental-friendly way and can replace NF3 as cleaning gas. Furthermore the GWP (Global Warming Potential) of the F2/N2 mixture is zero compared to NF3 17900.
The F2/N2 gas mixtures can also replace other cleaning gases such as CF4 or C2F6.