Electronic Chemicals and Growth of The Electrotonic Industries

Introduction and outcome

Electronic chemicals play an important role in the development of electronics. For example, these are the electronic chemicals which make laptops lighter and mobile screens clearer and bigger. In this article , you will learn about Electronic chemicals, their applications, manufacturers and frequently asked questions on electronic chemicals.

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Electronic Chemicals

The Specialty chemicals, which are used in Electronic industries to enhance technological performance, cost efficiency of electronic components and devices, are called Electronic chemicals. Their high purity and specific chemical properties make them essential in producing semiconductor devices, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and other integral parts of electronic devices. These chemicals ensure the optimal performance of electronic products by enabling precise etching, cleaning, doping, and other vital processes.

Common Electronic Chemicals

• Specialty gases
• CMP slurries
• Photoresists
• Conductive polymers
• Wet chemicals
• Acids, bases and solvents and
• Electronic materials like wafer, laminates etc

3 Key Applications of Electronic Chemicals

The Electronics chemicals are used The following are the applications of the Electronic chemicals:

1. Semiconductor Manufacturing
2. Printed Circuit Boards
3. Display Panels

Semiconductor Manufacturing: Among the most critical applications, electronic chemicals facilitate the creation of wafer patterns, doping of semiconductors, and cleaning of silicon wafers.

Printed Circuit Boards: Electronic chemicals are crucial in the etching, plating, and developing processes required for creating PCBs, which are the backbone of most electronic systems.

Display Panels: In the production of display panels like LCDs and OLEDs, electronic chemicals help in the cleaning and etching of the display substrates.

Semiconductor solvents

Semiconductor solvents are chemicals used in the semiconductor manufacturing process to clean, etch, or dissolve materials, as well as to remove residues during various stages of semiconductor device fabrication. These solvents must have specific characteristics, such as high purity, low volatility, and low toxicity, to meet the stringent requirements of the semiconductor industry.

The following are some commonly used semiconductor solvents and their typical applications:

1. Acetone
2. Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)
3. N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP)
4. Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)
5. Sulfuric Acid (H&#;SO&#;)
6. Ammonium Hydroxide (NH&#;OH)
7. Tetrahydrofuran (THF)
8. Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)
9. Chlorinated Solvents (e.g., Trichloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene)
10. Ozone and UV-Ozone Treatment

Acetone

• Uses: Acetone is commonly used for cleaning purposes in the semiconductor industry. It is effective at removing organic residues, oils, and particles from wafer surfaces before processes like photolithography or etching.
• Properties: It is a highly volatile solvent, which evaporates quickly and leaves minimal residues.

Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)

• Uses: IPA is one of the most widely used solvents for cleaning semiconductor wafers. It is often used to rinse wafers after a cleaning step or to clean equipment. It helps to remove oils, dust, and organic contaminants.
• Properties: It is a relatively safe, effective solvent that evaporates quickly without leaving significant residues. IPA is often used in combination with deionized water for rinsing.

N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP)

• Uses: NMP is used in cleaning, stripping photoresist layers, and in some etching processes. It is also used to dissolve certain types of resins or polymers.
• Properties: NMP is a strong polar solvent that can dissolve a wide range of materials, including oils, resins, and photoresists.

Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)

• Uses: HF is primarily used for etching silicon dioxide (SiO&#;) and cleaning silicon wafer surfaces. It is used to remove native oxide layers from silicon wafers or to etch oxide films.
• Properties: HF is a very strong acid and requires careful handling due to its high toxicity and corrosiveness. It must be used in dilute concentrations to be safe.

Sulfuric Acid (H&#;SO&#;)

• Uses: Sulfuric acid is often used in conjunction with hydrogen peroxide (H&#;O&#;) in cleaning solutions (called piranha solution) to remove organic contamination and residues from semiconductor surfaces.
• Properties: It is highly corrosive and must be handled with extreme care. Piranha solution is used to clean wafers before processes like oxidation or deposition.

Ammonium Hydroxide (NH&#;OH)

• Uses: Ammonium hydroxide is often used to clean surfaces, particularly in removing organic and inorganic contaminants. It is sometimes used in combination with hydrogen peroxide to remove organic contamination.
• Properties: It is a strong base and can dissolve certain organic materials, making it useful in cleaning applications.

Tetrahydrofuran (THF)

• Uses: THF is used in the dissolution of certain photoresists and polymers during the semiconductor manufacturing process. It is also used as a solvent in cleaning and stripping applications.
• Properties: It is a highly volatile, low-polarity solvent that is effective at dissolving various organic materials.

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)

• Uses: DMSO is used as a solvent in certain cleaning applications, especially for dissolving organic contaminants or photoresists.
• Properties: It is a polar solvent that is known for its ability to dissolve a wide variety of organic compounds.

Chlorinated Solvents (e.g., Trichloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene)

• Uses: These solvents are sometimes used in cleaning steps during semiconductor processing, though their use has decreased due to environmental and health concerns.
• Properties: Chlorinated solvents are highly effective at dissolving oils and other organic contaminants but can be toxic and are being phased out in favor of safer alternatives.

Ozone and UV-Ozone Treatment

• Uses: Ozone is often used in semiconductor cleaning for removing organic contaminants, such as photoresists, and to improve the surface quality of wafers before deposition or etching.
• Properties: Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent that can break down organic materials. UV-ozone treatment uses ultraviolet light to activate ozone, improving its cleaning efficiency.

Key Considerations When Using Semiconductor Solvents:

• Purity: Contaminants in solvents can interfere with the precise processes used in semiconductor manufacturing. Solvents must be of high purity to prevent contamination.
• Volatility: Many semiconductor solvents are highly volatile to ensure fast drying times, which is important for processes like lithography and etching.
• Toxicity and Safety: Many solvents used in semiconductor processing can be toxic or hazardous. Safe handling, ventilation, and appropriate protective equipment are essential.
• Environmental Impact: With increasing regulations on chemical usage, there has been a push to use more environmentally friendly solvents and reduce the use of harmful or ozone-depleting chemicals.

These solvents are critical in ensuring that semiconductor devices are manufactured with high precision and cleanliness, essential for the functioning of modern electronics.

Electronic Chemicals Companies

The market for electronic chemicals includes several key players known for their quality and innovation such as :

Dow Inc.: A major name in the specialty chemicals industry, Dow provides an extensive range of electronic chemicals used in semiconductor and advanced display manufacturing.

Sumitomo Chemical: This Japanese multinational is another significant player, producing high-purity chemicals and materials for electronics.

DuPont: With a long history in the chemical industry, DuPont supplies diverse electronic materials for semiconductors, ICs, and displays.

As the demand for advanced technology grows, the role of electronic chemicals becomes even more pivotal, driving innovation and progress in the electronics sector.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you understand Electronic Chemicals and its importance. You may also want to check out other articles on my blog, such as GLP and SOP.

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FAQs

What is the Electronic chemicals?

The Specialty chemicals, which are used in Electronic industries to enhance technological performance, cost efficiency of electronic components and devices, are called Electronic chemicals.

What chemicals are used in the semiconductor?

The typical chemicals which are used in the semiconductors are trichloroethylene, isopropyl alcohol(IPA), ethanol (ETOH) and acetone

What are the EC chemicals?

Emulsifiable concentrate formulations are called EC chemicals. EC is an oil based formulation which contains active ingredients dissolved in solvents and emulsifiers.

What harmful chemicals are in electronics?

Electronics contain several harmful chemicals like Beryllium, Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb). Mercury (Hg), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and Brominated flame retardants (BFRs)

What chemical are used in the microchips?

Chemicals like Xylene, Ethylene glycol, ammonia, Arsenic, Nitrate compounds, Hydrogen fluoride and cadmium are used in microchips.

What is the main ingredient in the semiconductor?

Silicon or Germanium or compounds such Gallium arsenide

YongYing contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

References

Abbreviations

• Ecs: Electronic chemicals

First name

The electronics industry uses a broad range of highly sophisticated specialty chemicals in many processing steps in the manufacture of electronic components and products, in silicon wafers and integrated circuits, for packaging and printed circuit boards, in the manufacture of compound semiconductors and optoelectronics, and in the production of flat panel display products. Growth in the consumption of integrated circuits process chemicals is driven by increases in installed production capacity and processed silicon wafer surface area, as well as by more expensive chemicals consumed by the new technology nodes.

High purity chemicals have extremely low contaminant levels, in some cases in the parts per trillion or even quadrillion range. Straight acids (H2SO4, HCl, HF, CH3COOH, H3PO4, HNO3) and bases (NaOH, KOH, NH4OH) are the backbone of wet processes. As device geometries continue to shrink and efforts to reduce defect densities grow, so has the demand for ultra-high-purity chemicals.

Market

The largest integrated circuits process chemical consuming region is Japan, accounting for about 25% of the total, followed by the Republic of Korea (18%), the United States (16%), Taiwan (16%), Europe (12%), China (6%) and other Asian countries (7%).

Manufacturing of electronic chemicals

Most electronic chemicals producers are highly secretive about their production methods. They involve distillation, chemical precipitation, ion-exchange, adsorption, micro-, nano-, and ultra-filtration, coagulation, flocculation, flotation and electrochemical methods.

GAB Neumann&#;s process equipment

The production of electronic grade chemical involves the use of ultra-pure materials of construction. As a matter of fact, almost only partially (e.g. PVDF) and totally fluorinated polymers (e.g. PTFE, PFA) are used. Thanks to its manufacturing process (sintering at °C or °F) α-silicon carbide is a suitable material for the processing of high purity chemicals.

GAB Neumann provides silicon carbide heat exchangers, to the ultra-pure sulfuric, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, acetic, phosphoric, and nitric acids manufacturers. In our silicon carbide heat exchangers, the ultra-pure chemicals are only in contact with silicon carbide parts and fully fluorinated parts (gaskets, headers).

Associated products:

Silicon carbide shell and tube heat exchangers

Silicon carbide block heat exchangers

Silicon carbide plate heat exchangers