Particle Beam Mass Spectrometer for Detecting and Sizing Sub-0.1 m

The Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 project will improve the practical utility of a new approach for detecting and sizing sub-0.1 m particles in vacuum processes used in semiconductor manufacturing. Particle contamination during the processing of silicon wafers is a major source of yield loss in semiconductor manufacturing. Current generation laser scattering monitors are not sensitive to particles smaller than about 0.17 m in size. However, within five years the semiconductor industry will need to detect 0.006 m particles in vacuum processes. An alternative technique, the particle beam mass spectrometer (PBMS), has recently been developed at the University of Minnesota for measuring sub-0.1 m particles in vacuum. Currently, the PBMS cannot be used for continuous monitoring applications or for detecting low particle concentration levels. The objective of the proposed research is to develop an improved PBMS capable of continuous monitoring and detection of individual particles down to 0.05 m. The improved PBMS will be experimentally characterized using laboratory generated aerosols. These improvements will enhance the practical utility of the PBMS as a process particle monitor for the semiconductor industry. A compact prototype of the improved PBMS will be field tested at industrial sites in later phases of the research.