Deionized water degasification for semiconductor fabrication
US6416676B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 27, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jul 9, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 15, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S210/90
- WIPO fieldEnvironmental technology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
In microelectronics (semiconductor) processing, pitting and voiding of aluminum and aluminum alloys by deionized (DI) water is prevented. The present method and apparatus degasifies the DI water to remove the dissolved oxygen gas. The oxygen gas concentration of the DI water is thus reduced from the saturation levels typically present to vastly less than saturation. It has been found that oxygen gas serves as the oxidizing agent in an electro-chemical reaction that includes the aluminum metal as the anode. The degasified DI water can be used at high temperatures and for long exposure times to rinse wafers without problematic aluminum etching. The present method is applicable to any semiconductor wafer fabrication or integrated circuit assembly process that uses DI water in contact with aluminum metallization.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.