Plasma resistant elastomers
Plasma resistant elastomers face some of the most aggressive environments of any application or industry catered by PPE.
PPE has developed and manufactured sealing materials to perform in critical locations directly exposed to these plasma chemistries, and in close proximity to the wafer or substrate.
Sealing in plasma environments
All seals, particularly those in critical locations, will degrade over a period of time. No single seal material is optimized for all chemistries, or applicable to every tool location and product type. Some of the most aggressive plasma processes for seals include oxygen resist strip, and radical-based plasmas such as NF3 etching and chamber cleans using remote plasma sources (RPS).
Whatever the operating environment, PPE’s team of semiconductor sealing specialists can advice on the appropriate plasma resistant elastomers for your application. The correct specification can lead to:
- Cost optimized recommendation, dependent on application
- Low erosion rates
- Low trace metal levels, where critical
- Low particle release rates, where critical
- Minimized impact on device yield and electrical yield
- Reduced cost of consumables (CoC)
PPE’s range of plasma resistance elastomers are engineered to deliver both purity and plasma resistance in some of the most aggressive chemistries.
Recommended materials for plasma applications
The table below indicates recommended and compatible elastomer material grades. Primary grades are geared towards critical system/tool locations.
For further guidance on appropriate sealing choices in plasma environments, get in touch with our experts for application-specific advice.
Process/application | Temperature range | Process media | Primary materials | Compatible materials |
---|---|---|---|---|
PECVD / HPDCVD | 25 – 300°C (77 – 572°F) | SiH4, N2, NH3, N2O, NO, Organosilanes/siloxanes, O2, CF4, C2F6, C3F8, SF6, SiF4, NF3 | G7HA, G65HP | G70H, G76W |
Resist Strip / Ash | 25 – 200°C (77 – 392°F) | O2, CF4, SF6, CHF3, NH3, H2, H2O, NO, N2O, Forming Gas | G65HP, G70H | G75H, G76W |
Dielectric Etch | 25 – 200°C (77 – 392°F) | H2, O2, CO, CO2, NO, NO2, N2O, CS2, COS, CF4, CH4, CHF3, C2F4, C2F6, C3F8, C4F8, C4F6, C4F10, C5F8, C6F6, SF6 | G65HP, G7HA | G70H, G75H, G76W |
Conductor Etch | 25 – 200°C (77 – 392°F) | CF4, CHF3, C2F6, C3F8, SF6, HBr, BCl3, SiCl4, CCl4, Cl2, CCl2F2, O2, CO, NO, N2O, NF3 | G70H, G65HP | G75H, G76W, V75SC |