Supercritical Fluid Technology

Photo Resist Stripping and Wafer Cleaning System Using Supercritical CO2

The complexity of integrated circuits has been increasing as lithography technology improves. In order to achieve pattern widths in the sub-micrometer range, the method of photo resist stripping and cleaning of silicon wafers is critical. Supercritical CO2 offers excellent performance as a cleaning solvent in the photo resist stripping/cleaning/drying processes due to unique properties such as low viscosity, high diffusivity, high permeability and no surface tension, among other reasons.

In addition, the fluid becomes a gas when reducing the pressure to atmospheric at ambient temperature. A liquid solvent can often collapse microstructures with a high aspect ratio due to its high surface tension. On the other hand, supercritical CO2 has no liquid-gas phase boundary and no surface tension occurs, therefore, the fluid can penetrate into microstructures without damaging the lithography pattern.

Perfluoropolyether Lubricant Preparative Refinery System Using the Supercritical Fluid Extraction Method

Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) is a lubricant widely used in many aerospace, vacuum, electronic and semiconductor applications due to its excellent chemical and tribological properties. It is typically used for friction reducing films on hard disks. In order to obtain a greater amount of functional PFPE, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction systems can refine and separate wide molecular weight distribution PFPE mixtures into a higher performance PFPE with a narrower molecular weight distribution.

 

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