For the past decade, consumer demand has pushed personal devices to become smaller and lighter, while also expecting them to perform in various operating conditions without crashing or unexpectedly powering down. Much can go wrong in the semiconductors or Integrated Circuitries (ICs) that run our devices, so the performance requirements of the chemicals and materials used in the manufacturing process demands sub-ppt impurities detection levels, with extraordinary accuracy and minimal instrument testing downtime. QA/QC, failure analysis and final test instrumentation must be capable of stable 24/7 operation, without interruption or error. And when contaminates or impurities are detected, the reaction time to take manufacturing off-line is critical to minimize loss of materials and the risk of manufacturing sub-par product. The analytical tools utilized in the semiconductor QA/QC testing process not only need to be robust enough to handle these rigorous procedures and comply to SEMI guidelines and regulations, but they must also be flexible enough to integrate with next generation manufacturing processes like online monitoring, which utilizes cloud connectivity and automated production controls.
Analyzing cleanroom air to identify and quantitate airborne contaminates like inorganic particles, organic compounds, and impurities introduced by manufacturing equipment and cleanroom construction materials, means that a wide range of analytical solutions are required to meet the needs of semiconductor and electronics QA/QC and failure testing steps.
