In the semiconductor manufacturing process, lithography and etching processes are crucial steps for preparing circuits within chips. The 50nm PFA filter cartridge plays an essential role in these processes due to its superior filtration performance and ultra-pure PFA material characteristics.

Structure of the PFA Filter Cartridge

PFA, a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkoxyethylene, is a high-performance fluoropolymer with excellent chemical resistance and low permeability. The PFA filter cartridge combines a PTFE filter membrane with a PFA outer skeleton to form a all fluoropolymer structure. The pleated structure of the PTFE filter membrane increases the filtration area, ensuring a higher filtration flow rate and better dirt holding capacity.

SoluGET Electronic Grade Fluoropolymer Filter Cartridge
 

Challenges in Lithography and Etching Processes

Lithography and etching are key steps in semiconductor manufacturing, directly affecting the quality and performance of chips. Lithography is used to transfer nanoscale circuit patterns onto wafers, while etching is used to remove multiple layers of materials on the chip to form complex circuit structures. Even the smallest particles can cause short circuits or open circuits during this process, leading to serious product quality issues and defects. Therefore, the purity of chemical solutions is crucial for process quality.

Advantages of PFA Filter Cartridges

High-Efficiency Particle Interception: The 50nm filtration accuracy ensures that only particles smaller than 50nm can pass through, effectively intercepting tiny particles and ensuring solution purity.
Excellent Chemical Compatibility: The PTFE filter membrane and PFA skeleton materials have excellent resistance to various chemical reagents, including strong acids and strong bases, making them an ideal choice for filtering chemical solutions in lithography and etching.
Extremely Low Leachables: PFA materials release minimal substances during operation, ensuring solution purity and avoiding external contamination.
High Temperature Resistance: The filter cartridge can operate stably in environments up to 180°C, suitable for various high-temperature chemical processes.
Higher Filtration Accuracy: The filtration accuracy of the PFA filter cartridge can reach 20nm, suitable for higher purity requirements.

Working Principle of PFA Filter Cartridge

The filtration mechanism of PFA filter cartridges is mainly based on physical interception, using the tiny gaps between filter membrane fibers to capture particles. A filtration accuracy of 50nm and higher is very effective in intercepting sub-micron particles that may affect the quality of lithography and etching.

Specific Applications

I Circulating Filtration of Chemical Solutions
In lithography and etching processes, circulating filtration of chemical solutions is a crucial step to ensure process quality. High-precision PFA filter cartridges can be used for the filtration of the following chemical solutions:
· Hydrofluoric acid (HF): Used for removing silicon dioxide from silicon wafer surfaces.
· Phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄): Used as an etchant in some etching processes.
· Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄): Commonly used for etching metal layers.
· Nitric acid (HNO₃): Used in some metal etching and oxide removal processes.
II Solutions for Removing Photoresist
After the lithography process, solutions for removing photoresist typically contain the following components:
· Acetic acid: Used to remove residual photoresist..
· Developer: Contains special chemical components, used to dissolve the unexposed photoresist.
Filtering these solutions with a 50nm PFA filter cartridge can remove tiny particles and contaminants that may affect subsequent processes.
III Final Product Cleaning
After etching, the final cleaning of the product is equally important.
· Deionized water (DI Water): Used for the final rinse to ensure no residues on the product surface.
· Organic solvents: Such as isopropyl alcohol, used to remove water-soluble residues.
SoluGET's ultrapure water filter cartridges, using hydrophilic asymmetric PES membranes, are suitable for filtering various aqueous solutions such as weak acids and bases.

SoluGET ultrapure water filter cartridges

Conclusion

SoluGET's electronic-grade PFA filter cartridges play a vital role in lithography and etching processes due to their efficient particle interception capabilities, excellent chemical compatibility, extremely low leachables, strong corrosion resistance, and high temperature resistance. As technology continues to advance and market demand grows, semiconductor chip technology will continue to develop towards smaller sizes, higher performance, and lower energy consumption. The application of electronic-grade PFA filter cartridges will become more widespread and important. For product information inquiries, please contact SoluGET engineers.

For further help and advice, feel free to contact the SoluGET engineering team at any time: