July 26–Tokyo–Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and Applied Materials, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) are jointly-developing AM1 chemistry for Applied Materials’ new single-wafer Oasis Clean system.

The proprietary AM1 chemistry, when used in the Oasis system’s AM-Clean process, enables improved particle removal performance and simplified chemical management compared to traditional SC1 and SC2 wet bench chemistries.

“Mitsubishi’s chemical and additive technologies and products are widely used in semiconductor anufacturers’ most advanced production lines,” says Tatsuo Kamemura, general manager of Mitsubishi’s Chemical System Service Department.

“This unique collaboration with Applied Materials has enabled us to fine-tune our chemistry to the exact specifications of their AM-Clean process to achieve the highest performance possible,” Kamemura adds. “We believe that the Oasis Clean system, using AM1 chemistry in the AM-Clean process, will significantly improve the way semiconductor wafers are processed, enabling next-generation nanometer-scale chipmaking.”

The AM1 chemistry offers many advantages over traditional wet cleaning chemicals that have been virtually unchanged for over 30 years. Using AM1 chemistry, the Oasis system’s single-step AM-Clean can be performed in less than 30 seconds, compared to more than 20 minutes for an SC1-SC2 cycle. In addition to removing virtually 100 percent of the particles from the front and back sides of the wafer. The AM-Clean reduces overall chemical usage, yet provides every wafer with fresh chemistry, eliminating wafer-to-wafer cross contamination.

“Mitsubishi Chemical Co. has established itself as one of the premier suppliers of the highest-quality chip manufacturing chemicals, and our customers around the world have the highest confidence in their chemical products,” notes Dr. Kelly Truman, general manager of Applied Materials’ Wet Clean Division. “We are pleased to be working with them on this innovative chemical formulation for our new system.”