Validation of Process to Increase Life of Semiconductor Equipment & Improve Process Yields Through Surface Conditioning

如今，电子设备无处不在，从使光纤网络连接到家中的激光，到口袋里的移动电话，再到电池驱动的电动汽车。但是，为实现电动汽车等节能技术而生产半导体产品的环境成本是“半导体悖论”。MOCVD是整个半导体行业用于制造各种产品的工艺，包括LED，功率晶体管和微处理器。MOCVD反应器组件（电感器）由碳陶瓷组成，每次运动后必须清洗，以防止运动之间的交叉污染。现有的方法是在还原气氛中，在约1200°C的炉中高温烘烤至少20小时。就能源消耗和二氧化碳排放而言，这在经济上和环境上都是昂贵的。Aesin开发了一种新的表面修复技术，可以减少85%的二氧化碳排放量，并为半导体制造商提供了更高的制造灵活性。随着半导体工业从硅过渡到化合物半导体器件，它已经在一些氮化物、砷化物和磷化物材料上得到了证明。该项目的目的是将该方法的能力扩展到其他技术上有关的材料和感受器类型，此外，根据国际公认的标准对该方法的有效性进行核查。

Electronic devices are found everywhere today, from the lasers enabling fibre-optic internet connections to your home, to the mobile phone in your pocket, and battery-powered electric vehicles. However, there exists a, "Semiconductor Paradox," that is the environmental cost of the production of semiconductor products that enable energy-saving technologies such as electric vehicles. MOCVD is a process used throughout the semiconductor industry for manufacturing a wide range of products including LED's, power transistors, and microprocessors. MOCVD reactor components (susceptors) consisting of carbon ceramics, have to be cleaned after each campaign to prevent cross-contamination between campaigns. The incumbent method is a high temperature bake in a furnace, at about 1200 °C, for at least 20 hours, in a reducing atmosphere. This is costly, both financially and environmentally, in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Aesin has developed a new surface reconditioning technique, which reduces equivalent CO2 emissions by 85% and offers increased manufacturing agility to semiconductor manufacturers. It has been proven on some nitride, arsenide, and phosphide materials as the semiconductor industry transitions away from silicon and towards compound semiconductor devices.The aim of this project is to extend the capabilities of the process to other technologically relevant materials and susceptor types and, furthermore, to provide verification of the effectiveness of the process to internationally recognised standards.