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Silicon wafer processing is very delicate. You cannot just bring a batch of silicon wafers into any room after manufacturing. Manufacturers must set up an environment safe for the wafers to prevent defects in the final products.
Much like a sterile chamber in the medical industry, the clean room provides a venue where the semiconductor products can be produced safely. It gives a preset ambiance free of particles that could hamper how the chip built on top of the substrate performs.
Contamination is the sole reason a clean room is necessary for wafer processing. Environmental debris like dust and hair, among others, directly impact the wafer’s performance. The products already go through a thorough polishing process immediately after growth. However, they can still accumulate particles from delivery and handling in between the procedures.
Workers who process wafers wear personal protective equipment that eliminates contact between human skin and the semiconductors. That’s only one measure for protecting the Si wafers. The second layer comprises a ventilation system that circulates air and traps airborne particles and toxic gases in the clean room.
Humidity can cause slip dislocations in semiconductors due to the interaction between silicon and oxygen atoms. These slips distort the shape of the wafer and render it useless for some applications like insulated gate bipolar transistors. To avoid this, the clean room employs mechanisms that keep humidity at ranges that minimize hydrogen and oxygen levels in the air.
Here at Wafer World, we work hard to ensure that our silicon wafers are free of contaminants. If you need a batch with high production yields, feel free to contact us. We’ll give you a quote free of charge.
