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Cellulose-based eco-friendly wafer-cleaning reagent

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Abstract

As the semiconductor industry has advanced, precisely patterned wafers of the sub-nanometer scale have been produced; hence, the development of cleaning reagents to remove contaminants from such wafers has received increasing attention. However, conventional cleaning solutions have significant drawbacks, including high cost and toxicity to both humans and the environment. In this work, we developed an eco-friendly cleaning reagent containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and a biodegradable amphoteric surfactant, cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), at optimal concentrations. The proposed system was applicable to both bare and patterned wafers, achieving a contaminant removal efficiency of ca. 100% without wafer damage. After investigating the cleaning mechanism utilizing different analytical techniques, we determined that the synergistic effect of the CNC/CAPB and free CAPB that includes the physical bombardment, electrostatic repulsion, and the adsorption inhibition of contaminants, contribute to the effective cleaning process. We expect this eco-friendly and cost-effective cleaning reagent to be readily adopted in the production of semiconductor products, as it could reduce the overall cost of producing electronics.

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Abbreviations

CAPB:

Cocamidopropyl betaine

CNC:

Cellulose nanocrystal

MCC:

Microcrystalline cellulose

PRE:

Particle removal efficiency

FE-SEM:

Field-emission scanning electron microscopy

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Pattern Damage Free Chemical Development Project at SEMES.

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Author notes

  1. Woo Young Kwon and Ji-Hwan Lee have equally contributed to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, Republic of Korea

    Woo Young Kwon & Ki Soo Park

  2. R&D Center, SEMES Co., Ltd., Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi, 18383, Republic of Korea

    Ji-Hwan Lee & Young Eun Jeon

Authors
  1. Woo Young Kwon
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  2. Ji-Hwan Lee
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  3. Young Eun Jeon
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  4. Ki Soo Park
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Correspondence to Ki Soo Park.

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Kwon, W.Y., Lee, JH., Jeon, Y.E. et al. Cellulose-based eco-friendly wafer-cleaning reagent. Cellulose 27, 3405–3412 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-020-03026-8

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