Case Study
exhibited no sign of cracking. By
comparison, he said that the incumbent
seal displayed significant cracking and
was badly compressed and deformed.
Wijnants described the Kalrez 9100 seal
as looking “almost new”.
Double or triple lifetime
Based on testing such as this, significant
time and cost savings are possible by
switching to components such as the
discussed Kalrez 9100 parts. At IMEC
for example, O-rings are now left in
place for 10000 cycles. This has an
obvious impct on cost and downtime.
With further testing and application the
organisation is considering extending
the lifetime even further.
complete seal kit for a CVD chamber Since there is no need to remove the
can cost as much as €5000 (about top nozzle or dismount the isolation
$7,400 U.S.), so any extensions in seal valve, there is also no need to perform
lifetime can save a lot of money,” a leak check afterwards. That saves on
Kristof Coose explains. “This translates PM and labour time, and on the cost of
into keeping machines running longer, replacement O-rings.
16
more efficiently, and more economically. particular to NF3 plasma, were cracking From its practical experience and
Then IMEC’s experience can translate and deforming. test result data, IMEC expects to
www
into the commercial world and to our These seals had to be replaced every double or even triple the lifetime of
.eur other semiconductor OEM partners. “ 5000 wafer cycles. That meant seals in its CVD platforms through
oasiasemiconductor
dismounting the isolation valve from the transition to the now tested Kalrez 9100
Testing FFKM seals pump lines, conducting a leak check, perfluoroelastomer parts.
The organisation has tested a variety of cleaning the process kit and closing the New devices being produced and
FFKM seals in top nozzle, gate valve, chamber, an expensive operation in specified in teh industry are
and turbo and roughing isolation valve time, labour hours, and money. IMEC predominantly 300 mm. IMEC is
positions in its Centura Ultima 200 mm experienced much the same problem planning to change the FFKM seals on
.com
HDPCVD platforms. with the gate valve seal where there are all positions to Kalrez 9100, starting
These tests showed that two types of mechanical stresses in addition to heavy with the 200 mm line. Kristof Coose
FFKM O-rings, commonly specified by chemical attack. says he is expecting the same results in
square4
Issue I 2009
the industry, were extensively attacked 300 mm as 200 mm.
in the top nozzle position in an Little evidence of
environment of phosphine, oxygen, chemical attack
silane and NF3 plasma cleaning gas. During the course of its FFKM seal
These seals also exhibited signs of high testing, I asked IMEC if a next
stress in some locations, probably generation polymeric filled sealing
induced by high temperature excursions material could be installed to replace
typical of this type of application. the older FFKM products.
Similar problems were observed in both As a result, Kalrez 9100
STI and IMD applications. perfluoroelastomer parts from DuPont
IMEC performs preventive Performance Elastomers were tested in
maintenance tests on various 200 mm some of the most critical seal positions.
and 300 mm equipment models to Samples were removed after equivalent
improve uptime and lower costs. time service of 5 000 cycles in the
According to Jeroen De Mars, O-rings identical process environment.
composed of older FFKM compounds, According to Stefaan Wijnants, the
positioned in the roughing isolation Kalrez 9100 seals appeared undamaged
valve and exposed to all the gases, in in the isolation valve and top nozzle and
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