TECHNOLOGIES & APPLICATIONS

EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR CLEANING THE SURFACE
AND HYDRO-GENATING THE NEAR-SURFACE REGION
OF SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURES WITH ATOMIC HYDROGEN

Purpose

The equipment and technologies are intended to clean the surface of semiconductor structures of native oxides, dust particles, and organic contaminants and to hydrogenate the near-surface region of semiconductor structures with the purpose to improve their electro-physical characteristics. The technologies can be used in the production of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits and in scientific research.

The discharge cell mounted in the vacuum chamber of the system for deposition of thin metal film

Outline and technical and economic characteristics

The principle of the cleaning technology is that "dry" vacuum cleaning of contaminants from the surface of semiconductor structures is performed in a unified vacuum cycle with the processes of deposition of metal, dielectric, and other thin films or ion implantation with the use of an original atomic hydrogen source.

The advantages of this cleaning technology over other "dry" methods are due to the high reactivity of hydrogen atoms and the purely chemical mechanism for removal of contaminants. The use of the proposed technology will make it possible to produce semiconductor devices and integrated circuits with improved characteristics, to increase the reproducibility of technological processes, to raise the device yield, and to make the production more environmentally safe.

Principal advantages

As distinct from the well-known methods of "wet" chemical cleaning, the proposed technology is a "dry" process which can readily be combined in a unified vacuum cycle with subsequent technological operations. As distinct from the well-known methods of "dry" cleaning, the proposed technology offers the possibility to produce a surface of much higher quality at a lower treatment temperature.

Hydrogenation, with its capabilities of controlling material properties, has no alternative.

Analogs

Technologies for cleaning the surface of semiconductor substrates with atomic hydrogen are available. A distinguishing feature of the proposed technology is that it is intended for application in a commonly used technological equipment with a medium vacuum.

The atomic hydrogen source has no analog by the combination of its technical and economical parameters.

Patenting

The atomic hydrogen source is an ingenious system and its design is protected by the Russian patent No. 2088056 "An Atomic Hydrogen Generator". Know-how's for the generator design and for the techno-logical processes are available.

Development phase

Research work is completed and development work is under way. Efforts are made to transfer the technologies to the production of semiconductor devices.

Suggestions for collaboration

The following forms of collaboration are suggested:

joint efforts in bringing the technology and equipment being de-veloped to the commercial level;
selling of the equipment and technology developed;
joint research aimed at advancing the proposed technologies and equipment.

For further information please contact:

Dmitry I. Proskurovsky,
Professor, Dr. Sci. (Phys. & Math.), Laboratory Head

Phone: (3822) 49-27-09
Fax: (3822) 49-24-10

E-mail: PDI@Lve.hcei.tsc.ru

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