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Summary
Chips manufacturers use a variety of high-purity solid materials, such as silicon, germanium, copper, gold, silver, GeSi, AlGaN, etc., in their processes. Reliable chips require that these source materials be extremely pure and that they be qualified based on overall purity and priority contaminants. However, characterization of the materials used in the industry is not as robust as is needed, considering necessary changes in materials vendors and ever more stringent industry requirements.
This project will develop new Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), Reference Materials (RMs), and Research-Grade Test Materials (RGTMs) for high-purity solids currently lacking in chip manufacturing.
Grand Challenge 1: Metrology for Materials Purity, Properties, and Provenance
Description
Metrology is the foundation of the entire semiconductor enterprise. Standards provide the highest “value added” of all processes.
Purity evaluations of high-purity bulk materials used in chips manufacturing are calibrated against reference materials that are often not matrix-matched to the materials under test. In other words, differences in the compositions of the calibrants and the samples being analyzed can result in large uncertainties for individual contaminants in the high-purity sample, and less than optimal uncertainties in the purity assay itself.
For solid surfaces, there are recognized needs for better metrological methods and reference materials to support measurements of various elements in the near-surface regions, as part of process development and control. Members of the U.S. semiconductor industry have expressed their need for SRMs, including those with assigned compositional values for hydrogen, boron, and other elements near surfaces. Advanced metrology and new SRMs of these types will enable the U.S. semiconductor industry to innovate for chips manufacturing for years to come.
By creating new SRMs, this project will help position the U.S. semiconductor industry to be more competitive in the world market and to lead new technology developments. Additionally, technology transfer will enable domestic semiconductor manufacturers to establish new measurement capabilities in their own facilities.