MONITORING CONTAMINATION IN LIQUIDS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING.

The semiconductor industry has just begun to focus on the issue of liquid cleanliness. A significant amount of data has emerged on this subject, and preliminary evidence indicates that liquids contribute several orders of magnitude more contamination onto the wafer than do other environmental influences. The author identifies these contamination problems and delineates the liquid chemicals and chemical monitoring techniques used in wafer manufacturing. Also discussed is the ecological impact of liquid contamination and current methods to improve liquid purity.