• Cleanroom air
• Clean dry air (CDA)
• Ultrapure nitrogen (HPN₂)
• Silicon wafers
• Clean benches
• Tool cabinets
• Flooring
• Electrostatic chucks
• Tool stages

Analyses

• Trace metals
• Dopants (B,P, As, Sb)
• Acids and bases (including ammonium, amines, urea, SOx)
• Organics, including refractory organics
• Other special tests as need when fabs have new or unique technologies (failure analysis, leaches of hazed optics, particle ID, wipe studies… )

Services

• Baselining via grab sampling in critical process and manufacturing areas
• Trouble shooting and resolving contamination escalations 

Sampling

• Witness wafers – organic and metal free
• Bubbler / impinger method
• Organic adsorption sampler

Analytical

• Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry  (ICP-MS)
• Ion chromatography (IC) 
• Ion chromatography mass spectrometry (IC-MS)
• Thermal desorption gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (TD GC-MS)
• Full wafer TD GC-MS

Balazs is a qualified laboratory for leading OEMs. Our collaboration has led to improved specifications for optimizing optics performance and stepper environment control thereby extending the lifetime of the tool.

Selective Issues

• AMC can form hazing (surface contamination) on optics
• NH₃ is typically present at “high” concentrations in lithography areas
• Presence of Cl^- or SO_x can deposit on optics
• Silicon-containing materials can outgas and leave SiO₂ on optics

Recommended Tests

• AMC in stepper (before and after filters)
• AMC in room
• N₂, CDA testing (before and after purifiers)
• Mask, wafer and other storage area (compacts and stockers)
• Wafers or substrates exposed to FOUP’s, Pods, compacts, shippers

• ITRS (InternationalTechnology Roadmap for Semiconductors)
• SEMI F21-1102 analysis for molecular acids, bases, condensable organics and dopants.
• IEST-RP-CC035.0, Design Considerations for Airborne Molecular Contamination Filtration Systems in Cleanrooms and Controlled Environments
• ISO 16444-8

Articles and Papers

 Application Notes