ABSTRACT
Contamination in IC manufacturing can be traced to a number of sources, including foreign particles, trace metals, organic films and residues, hydrogen, halogens, and other interfering substances. Table 11.1 shows a recently prepared list of device manufacturing processes and equipment considered to be sources of such contamination. The largest single source of particles in a typical fabrication facility is that generated by the process equipment (Fig. 11.1). Examples of particulate contamination in semiconductor equipment are listed in Table 11.2. The materials used to manufacture this equipment outgas, contaminating wafers. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), particle formation resulting from chemical and physical processes inside CVD reactors is the primary source of particle contamination in semiconductor manufacturing.
