The Role of Compressed Air in Semiconductors

The role of compressed air in the chip manufacturing process is very important, because some bubbles will be generated in the chip manufacturing process, and compressed air can be very good to discharge these bubbles to make the chip thinner, and the quality of the chip more Lighter.

The semiconductor industry is a huge global industry that continues to grow every year, which means that the demand for high-purity gases is also increasing.

Having a reliable supply of high-purity gas is essential for semiconductor manufacturing, especially in advanced technologies such as smartphones and self-driving cars.

The process of producing integrated circuits is complex, requiring more than 30 different gases at all stages.

Gases are an important part of semiconductor manufacturing because they can produce the chemical reactions needed to shape the electrical properties of semiconductors. Due to its complexity, the gases used at each stage of the manufacturing process need to be precise and accurate to properly configure the semiconductor.

With the continuous development and development of the semiconductor industry, the gases used in the process are also constantly evolving. Some core gases used include nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and hydrogen.

Nitrogen

due to its availability and inertness, nitrogen is the core gas used in various steps of the semiconductor manufacturing process, but its main use is in the purge stage. At this stage, nitrogen is used to flush each channel and pipe network to remove any oxygen in the machines and tools, so that they are protected from other gases that may contaminate the process.

In addition, due to the extensive use of nitrogen throughout the process, most semiconductor factories are equipped with nitrogen generators on site. More importantly, with the production of high-tech smartphones and other technologies, it is imperative to keep costs low while trying to meet high demand.

It can be said that nitrogen contaminates tools, spaces and pipes. It is an essential gas and is used throughout the process from start to finish.

Oxygen

oxygen is an oxidant, so it is essential to generate the deposition reaction. It is used to grow silicon oxide layers for various elements in the process, such as diffusion masks.

When using oxygen for semiconductor fabrication, the gas must be ultra-high purity to prevent any impurities from affecting the production and performance of the device.

During the etching process, the oxygen is also used to remove any additional material waste generated. It can also be used to make any etched pattern permanent.

Finally, oxygen also helps to neutralize reactive gases through oxidation reactions that can alter product quality. Therefore, similar to nitrogen, oxygen also helps to ensure that no contamination occurs.

Argon

argon is primarily used in deposition and etching processes within UV lithography lasers for making the smallest patterns on semiconductor chips.

Argon gas is used to protect the silicon crystals formed on the wafer from any potential reactions with oxygen and nitrogen during high temperature growth during the fabrication of the desired silicon wafers.

Because argon is also a very inert gas, it is used to provide a non-reactive environment for metal sputter deposition. Sometimes nitrogen is too reactive, leading to the formation of metal nitrides.

In addition, liquid argon is used with tools to clean the smallest, most fragile chips.

Hydrogen

the use of hydrogen in semiconductor manufacturing is likely to increase due to higher demand. Especially in the lithography stage, hydrogen gas is used to react with chemical tin to produce tin hydride. Tin hydride is needed to prevent it from accumulating on expensive optical components.

It is used in the deposition process for the epitaxial deposition of silicon and silicon germanium, and also for the preparation of surfaces by annealing processes.

Hydrogen gas is used to create a new oxide layer to modify an already existing film. This process occurs in a high pressure and high temperature environment, which means that the control of flow rate, temperature and pressure is very important.

In addition, hydrogen is also used in the doping stage to help control decomposition, as the gases of the fabrication process are highly toxic. They must be stored in a device that prevents leakage.

Diborane is also a chemical used in the doping process, but because it is thermally unstable, it will slowly decompose, so hydrogen is needed to help stabilize it.