In today's era of rapid technological development, the electronics and semiconductor industry, as the core field of modern industry, has extremely high requirements for the purity of production water. Ultrapure water equipment has become one of the key equipment in the industry due to its excellent performance and efficient water purification ability. This article will detail the specific applications of ultrapure water equipment in the electronics and semiconductor industries.
1.the application in the cleaning process
Wafer cleaning is a crucial part of the semiconductor manufacturing process. Impurities such as particles, organic matter, and metal ions on the surface of the wafer will seriously affect the performance and yield of the chip if they are not completely removed. Ultrapure water plants are able to produce ultrapure water that is virtually free of impurities through precision purification processes such as "two-stage reverse osmosis EDI polishing mixed bed". The EDI module of GFPURE ultrapure water equipment has a stable water production resistivity of 17MΩ.cm, and the removal rate of key ions exceeds 99%, which meets the standard of ASTM D5127 in the semiconductor industry. This high-purity ultrapure water can be used for multiple cleaning of wafers to ensure nanometer purity on the wafer surface, laying a solid foundation for subsequent lithography, etching and other delicate operations.
2. Preparation and dilution of chemical reagents
Ultrapure water is not only a medium for cleaning, but also the solvent of choice for various chemical reagents in semiconductor manufacturing. From the developer of the photoresist to the chemistry used in the etching process, the high purity of ultrapure water avoids the introduction of additional contaminants and ensures that the chemical reaction is carried out precisely. For example, in the process of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), ultrapure water is used to rinse wafers and remove uneven films, where water quality requirements are extremely stringent. GFPURE ultrapure water equipment is able to provide a stable water source with a lower conductivity than the water supplied to meet this standard through EDI technology, ensuring polish quality and avoiding surface defects.
3. Thin film deposition and etching process
In the production of semiconductor chips, thin film deposition is used to form various electronic functional layers, while etching processes are used to precisely remove material from specific areas. Both processes are extremely demanding on water quality, and any impurities can affect the uniformity of the film and the accuracy of the etching. Ultrapure water equipment uses advanced treatment technology to ensure that the water used in the deposition and etching processes meets ultrapure water standards. This high-quality ultrapure water effectively improves the quality of the film and the accuracy of the etching, thereby improving the overall performance of the chip.
4.the application of packaging technology
Ultrapure water is also indispensable in the chip packaging phase. Whether used for cleaning the encapsulation material or as a medium in the encapsulation process, the contamination-free nature of ultrapure water contributes to the reliability of the package and the long-term stability of the chip. For example, after a well-known high-end chip manufacturing enterprise introduced ultrapure water equipment, the yield rate of the chip has increased significantly from 75% to 92%, the production efficiency has increased by about 15%, and the production cost can be saved by about 500,000 yuan per year.
5. Practical application cases
Taking a semiconductor chip manufacturing company as an example, the traditional water treatment equipment used by the company could not meet the increasingly stringent production needs, resulting in defects such as impurity residues and short circuits on the surface of the chip, which seriously affected the yield rate and production efficiency of the chip.
After the introduction of the state-of-the-art GFPURE ultrapure water equipment, the following technical advantages have been demonstrated:
1. GF-UPW-B series EDI module performance: the standard water resistivity reaches 17.5MΩ.cm, which meets the ASTM D5127 standard in the semiconductor industry. The removal rate of sodium and ion is >99%, the removal rate of silicon is >99%, and the removal rate of boron is >98%.
2. Terminal polishing water quality: After post-polishing mixed bed treatment, the resistivity of water quality can reach more than 18.2MΩ.cm, which meets the requirements of chip flushing process.
3. Environmental protection and energy saving: The concentrated water drainage of the modified equipment can be recycled after treatment, such as for green plant irrigation, sanitary flushing, etc., to achieve efficient use of water resources, with a recovery rate of up to 75%, in addition, the energy consumption of GFPURE equipment is 25% lower than that of traditional equipment, and the operating cost is significantly reduced.
4. Customization capability: GFPURE provides a single EDI module with a production capacity of 1-16 tons per hour, which can be flexibly configured according to the needs of enterprises to meet the water needs of enterprises of different sizes. The equipment adopts fully automatic control to monitor water quality parameters (such as conductivity, TOC, particulate matter, etc.) in real time to ensure stable water quality.
The yield rate of the chip has been significantly improved, the production efficiency has been greatly improved, and the degree of automation of the equipment is high, which has brought significant economic benefits to the enterprise.
6. Summary
Ultrapure water equipment is used in a wide range of applications in the electronics and semiconductor industries, from wafer cleaning and chemical formulation to thin film deposition, etching and packaging. GFPURE ultrapure water equipment has become the first choice in the industry due to its excellent performance (such as EDI permeate resistivity of 17MΩ.cm, terminal polishing water quality up to 18.2Ω.cm, ion removal rate >99%%, etc.), environmental protection and energy saving. With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the demand for ultrapure water in the electronics and semiconductor industries will continue to grow, and ultrapure water equipment will continue to be upgraded to meet higher water quality requirements and production efficiency needs. In the future, ultrapure water equipment will continue to play an irreplaceable and important role in the electronics and semiconductor industry, helping the development and innovation of the industry.