Compatibility of 3-D printed devices in cleanroom environments for semiconductor processing
Compatibility of 3-D printed devices in cleanroom environments for semiconductor processing
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DOI：
10.1016/j.mssp.2018.08.027
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发表时间：
2019-01
影响因子：
4.1
通讯作者：
T. Pasanen;G. Gastrow;Ismo T. S. Heikkinen;V. Vähänissi;H. Savin;Joshua M. Pearce
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
T. Pasanen;G. Gastrow;Ismo T. S. Heikkinen;V. Vähänissi;H. Savin;Joshua M. Pearce
3D打印有可能彻底改变定制的低成本科学设备的制造，许多自主设计的应用已经实现和展示。然而，3D打印设备对用于半导体加工的洁净室的适用性并不那么简单，因为受控环境对允许的材料和物品有严格的要求。这项工作通过分析三种可能合适的聚合物（聚乳酸（PLA），丙烯腈丁二烯苯乙烯（ABS）和聚丙烯（PP））来研究在洁净室中利用3D打印的机会，这两种应用不需要特定的化学兼容性：定制的单晶片存储盒和计量系统的晶片定位器。所设计的设备通过引入对具有非标准形状或尺寸的样品的支持来补充商业选择，同时降低了通常非常昂贵的洁净室设备的价格。结果表明，由PLA和ABS 3D打印的单个晶片盒产生的颗粒与商业等同物一样少，而存储在自打印PP盒中的晶片中发现的颗粒略多。尽管如此，所有晶圆上的颗粒数量都处于相同的数量级，这表明3D打印的盒子不是重要的颗粒来源。3-D晶片定位器似乎在被操纵的晶片上引起可忽略的颗粒增加，而机械部件的磨损产生可能分散在环境中的更大数量的颗粒。因此，建议定期清洁这些部件，在洁净室环境中的适用性将取决于清洁度限制。元素分析表明，3D打印物体不含其他有害金属杂质，而不是来自着色剂的杂质。因此，对于金属污染可能是一个问题的目的，包括半导体加工，具有自然颜色的3D打印细丝应该是优选的。最后，在这项研究中考虑的3D打印长丝被证明是耐异丙醇和去离子水的，这对于在洁净室中使用3D打印物体进行有效清洁至关重要。结果表明，简单的3D打印物体，如晶片盒或镊子，不是明显的污染源，因此，同样适合在洁净室中使用。
3-D printing has potential to revolutionize manufacturing of customized low-cost scientific equipment, and numerous self-designed applications have already been realized and demonstrated. However, the applicability of 3-D printed devices to cleanrooms used for semiconductor processing is not as straightforward, as the controlled environment sets strict requirements for the allowed materials and items. This work investigates the opportunity to utilize 3-D printing in cleanrooms by analyzing three potentially suitable polymers (polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polypropylene (PP)) for two applications that do not require particular chemical compatibility: a custom single wafer storage box and a wafer positioner for a metrology system. The designed equipment supplements commercial selection by introducing support for samples with non-standard shape or size and simultaneously reduces the price of often extensively expensive cleanroom equipment. The results show that the single wafer boxes 3-D printed from PLA and ABS generate as little particles as a commercial equivalent, whereas slightly more particles are found from a wafer stored in the self-printed PP box. Nevertheless, the number of particles on all wafers is in the same order of magnitude, indicating that 3-D printed boxes are not significant particle sources. The 3-D wafer positioner seems to cause a negligible particle increase on the manipulated wafer, while abrasion of the mechanical parts generate larger numbers of particles that may disperse in the environment. Regular cleaning of those parts is thus recommended, and applicability in a cleanroom environment will depend on the cleanliness constraints. Elemental analysis reveals that 3-D printed objects contain no other harmful metal impurities than those originating from colorants. Thus, 3-D printing filaments with natural color should be preferred for purposes, where metal contamination could be an issue, including semiconductor processing. Finally, 3-D printing filaments considered in this study are shown to be resistant to isopropanol and deionized water, which is critical for efficient cleaning for use of 3-D printed objects in cleanrooms. The results demonstrate that simple 3-D printed objects, such as wafer boxes or tweezers, are not notable contamination sources, and hence, are equally suitable for use in cleanrooms as the commercial equivalents.