New selective etch product series to be launched by Avantor @ SEMICON West 2011

PHILLIPSBURG, USA: Avantor Performance Materials is launching its new J.T.Baker SLCT Series of selective etch surface treatment chemistries for FEOL strain engineering applications July 12-14 at SEMICON West 2011 in booth 1607 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

The first product in the new series is the J.T.Baker SLCT 128 “sigma” etchant, a groundbreaking chemistry that simultaneously cleans and selectively etches the wafer substrate, creating a cavity for strain engineered gate structures and enabling better device performance and process yield.

SLCT 128 sigma etchant creates a clear, well-defined faceted sigma shape for epitaxy in advanced nodes, leading to increased line yield and die reliability. It exhibits a highly controlled rate of etch, while simultaneously removing post-etch residue and acting as a pre-clean chemistry. SLCT 128 sigma etchant is essentially “self-cleaning” so no additional rinse may be required to clean the etch chemistry.

SLCT 128 sigma etchant, created through a joint development agreement between Avantor and SACHEM, Inc. of Austin, TX, offers multiple advantages over current sigma etch processes: no pre-implant operations are required to tailor the initial etching. Also, in some cases plasma pre-etching can be eliminated or reduced.

SLCT 128 sigma etchant can be used in applications that include (but are not limited to):

• Strained silicon channels where silicon germanium (SiGe) and silicon nitride (SiN) induce strain on the silicon lattice under the gate region;
• FinFET structures where the semiconductor material is vertical rather than horizontal.

Engineering these structures leads to improved electrical properties and device performance.

“With J.T. Baker SLCT 128 sigma etchant, Avantor demonstrates that the promise of innovative selective etch chemistries is now a proven technology,” said Avantor's director of Marketing, Electronic Materials, John Bubel. “This first product in our new SLCT Series of selective etch chemistries gives manufacturers a powerful new tool to improve device yields and performance while potentially reducing FEOL process steps and costs.”

Bubel said Avantor plans to expand the SLCT Series with additional selective etch products in the near future, targeting selectivity to metal oxides and integration stacks common in advanced memory chip manufacturing.

Customers can learn more about the new product line at SEMICON West 2011 booth 1607, where Avantor experts will discuss custom-tailored solutions.

At SEMICON West, Avantor will also provide up-to-date details on the company’s relationship with SACHEM, as well as information on the company’s complete family of engineered materials, including BAKER ALEG Series photoresist and residue removal products, BAKER REZI Series photoresist stripper and residue removal chemistries, and the J.T. Baker CLk Series removal products specifically designed for compatibility with copper and low-k dielectrics.

Avantor is a global leader in supplying semiconductor surface treatment technologies that help speed the development of cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing processes to increase yields and deliver next-generation products to markets faster. The company has pioneered surface cleaning and treatment products that offer better compatibility with leading-edge substrates and integration structures, and proven, cost-effective photoresist stripping and residue removal solutions to current and emerging semiconductor nodes.