This paper, Written by Nora Colligan, Samsung Austin Semiconductor, focuses on a holistic approach to monitoring particles in ultra-pure chemicals from supplier all the way to the wafer surface. As critical dimensions shrink, this understanding will become very critical for cleaning equipment, processes, and the chemical delivery systems that supply them. Advancing technology in particle monitoring capabilities have made it possible to measure liquid particle counts of similar dimensions to wafer particle metrology, allowing the opportunity of a correlation of the two to be made. This paper presents examples of opportunities for particle improvement in all aspects of the supply chain, from supplier to point of use. Because of the complexity of these systems, there is further opportunity for particle monitoring to complete the correlation of liquid particle counts to wafer particle levels, and ultimately wafer yield.

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