Challenges of ALD process in semiconductor manufacturing
Driven by the rising usage in the manufacturing of the new and advanced designed chips and by the growing adoption of compact or miniature equipment and devices, Atomic Layer Deposition, ALD, is one of the best methods for the production of thin films. While ALD is a highly effective technique for depositing thin films with precision, recent research has shown it has inherent challenges, especially concerning atomic-level impurities and defects. When the ALD process is applied to semiconductor chips or wafers, atomic-level contaminants, such as oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and carbon (C), can become buried under the deposited thin films. These impurities lead to significant challenges in chip performance and overall quality.
First of all, semiconductor chip performance is reduced:
Electrical Characteristics: Atomic-level impurities trapped under thin films can disrupt the semiconductor’s electrical properties, leading to issues such as increased leakage current, reduced breakdown voltage, and instability.
Reliability Issues: Contaminants interfere with the device's long-term reliability, causing inconsistencies in performance over time, especially in critical markets like automotive and power devices, where failure is not an option.
Device Sensitivity: For sensors, the presence of impurities can lead to inconsistent sensor readings, reducing accuracy, sensitivity, and overall device performance.
Secondly, there are severe implications to the efficiency of the manufacturing process and customer validation processes:
Increased Defects and Failures: As impurities are buried under thin films, they cause performance degradation, leading to a higher rate of defective devices, lower yields, and wasted materials.
Longer Qualification Cycles: It may take customers longer to validate the products, as they have to account for variations introduced by impurities, prolonging the time to market.
In addition, there are limitations in the application of chips, e.g.:
IoT and Communications: In IoT devices, where power consumption and device lifespan are crucial, atomic-level contaminants can increase leakage current and reduce power efficiency. Similarly, RF filters used in communications demand extremely clean surfaces to avoid signal degradation.
Automotive and Power: For power devices, any increase in leakage current can severely affect efficiency and thermal management, which is especially problematic in high-performance automotive and power applications.
These challenges make it difficult to meet the rigorous standards of customers.
Solutions like Sisusemi’s atomic-level impurity removal and cleaning technology can significantly enhance ALD process. The atomic-level impurity challenges can be tackled and a more refined, high-quality product offered to customers.
Thus, chip performance and quality will be enhanced: Atomic-level contaminants are removed before the ALD process begins. This ensures that the thin films deposited by ALD are free from defects that could have degraded the performance. With impurities effectively eliminated, chips will experience lower leakage currents, improved power efficiency and reduced waste. By reducing the presence of atomic defects, the long-term reliability of semiconductor devices in increased, meeting stringent customer requirements.
Removing atomic-level contaminants ensures that the ALD films adhere perfectly and without unwanted impurities, reducing defect density and increasing yield. ALD process can proceed more smoothly, leading to reduced material waste and overall improved efficiency in production.
This also leads to increased customer confidence and faster qualification cycles: Customers will experience fewer surprises and less variability in performance, which accelerates qualification and testing cycles for new semiconductor products.
By integrating atomic-level cleaning solution with ALD technology, the ALD process is significantly enhanced, ensuring higher-quality wafers, improved device performance, and lower manufacturing costs. This combination provides distinct advantages for customers, helping them meet the increasing demands for reliability, performance, and yield across industries.
