Abstract
Improvement of semiconductor integration requires the contamination control of finer particle in semiconductor manufacturing processes. In particular, the control of particle contamination in semiconductor material gases is important for enhancing the production yield. A flow-cell type optical particle counter based on light scattering method was developed for real-time measurement of particles in semiconductor material gases. In this paper, the flow-cell type particle counter was inserted in gas supply lines of semiconductor manufacturing processes. This enabled direct and in-line measurement of particles in the semiconductor material gases for the first time. The measurements showed that the concentration of particles in semiconductor material gases depended on the material and condition of gas cylinders and gas filters. The particle concentration was also affected by the operation of gas supply systems. It was suggested that there was a considerable amount of particulate contaminant generation in the semiconductor gases. The measured results for inert gases were significantly different from those of the semiconductor gases. Consequently, the importance of the direct and in-line measurement was confirmed.
