Joseph N. Greeley

Particle - Wafer interactions in semiaqueous silicon cleaning systems

Interfacial interaction forces between particulate contaminants and semiconductor wafer surfaces play a key role in the understanding of post-CMP and post-lapping cleaning processes. In order to facilitate removal and prevent re-deposition of submicron particles on wafer surface, understanding, measurement, and manipulation of these forces is required. The theory of interaction forces in liquids that includes DLVO forces (van der Waals, electrical double layer) and non-DLVO (solvation, hydration, hydrophobic, steric and bridging forces) is well established and is studied elsewhere.1-4 Short range interaction forces between silica surfaces in alcohols have been successfully measured before using AFM.5-7