Driven by the rising usage in the manufacturing of new and advanced chips and the growing adoption of compact or miniature devices, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is one of the best methods for producing thin films. While ALD is highly effective for depositing thin films with precision, recent research has shown it has inherent challenges, especially concerning atomic-level impurities and defects. When the ALD process is applied to semiconductor chips or wafers, atomic-level contaminants, such as oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and carbon (C), can become buried under the deposited thin films. These impurities lead to significant challenges in chip performance and overall quality.

First of all, semiconductor chip performance is reduced:

  • Electrical Characteristics: Atomic-level impurities trapped under thin films can disrupt the semiconductor’s electrical properties, leading to increased leakage current, reduced breakdown voltage, and instability.
  • Reliability Issues: Contaminants interfere with long-term device reliability, causing inconsistencies in performance over time, especially in critical markets like automotive and power devices.
  • Device Sensitivity: For sensors, impurities can lead to inconsistent readings, reducing accuracy, sensitivity, and overall device performance.

Secondly, there are severe implications for manufacturing efficiency and customer validation processes:

  • Increased Defects and Failures: Impurities buried under thin films cause performance degradation, leading to higher defective rates, lower yields, and wasted materials.
  • Longer Qualification Cycles: Customers may require longer validation times to account for variations introduced by impurities, prolonging time to market.

In addition, there are limitations in chip applications, e.g.:

  • IoT and Communications: In IoT devices, atomic-level contaminants increase leakage current and reduce power efficiency. RF filters in communications require extremely clean surfaces to avoid signal degradation.
  • Automotive and Power: For power devices, increased leakage current affects efficiency and thermal management, critical for high-performance automotive and power applications.

These challenges make it difficult to meet rigorous customer standards.

Solutions like Sisusemi’s atomic-level impurity removal and cleaning technology can significantly enhance the ALD process. Atomic-level impurities can be tackled, producing a more refined, high-quality product for customers.

Thus, chip performance and quality are enhanced: contaminants are removed before the ALD process begins, ensuring thin films are free from defects. With impurities eliminated, chips experience lower leakage currents, improved power efficiency, and reduced waste. Reducing atomic defects also increases long-term reliability, meeting stringent customer requirements.

Removing atomic-level contaminants ensures that ALD films adhere perfectly, reducing defect density and increasing yield. The ALD process proceeds more smoothly, lowering material waste and improving production efficiency.

This also leads to increased customer confidence and faster qualification cycles: fewer surprises and less performance variability accelerate testing and validation for new semiconductor products.

By integrating atomic-level cleaning solutions with ALD technology, the ALD process is significantly enhanced, ensuring higher-quality wafers, improved device performance, and lower manufacturing costs. This combination provides distinct advantages for customers, helping them meet increasing demands for reliability, performance, and yield across industries.