INDUSTRY 14

Semiconductor / Wafer FAB

14 / SEMICONDUCTOR

Multi-acid bath concentration monitoring (HF + H₂SO₄ + H₃PO₄ + DI) across wet etch, clean and CMP processes — simultaneous 4-component inline analysis.

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Overview

Wafer fabrication's wet etch, clean and CMP processes use multi-acid baths of HF, H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄, NH₄OH, H₂O₂ and DI water. As nodes shrink to 14 / 7 / 5 nm, concentration tolerance has tightened from ±5% to ±1%. PS7100 uses UV-Vis-NIR multi-channel absorption + MLR multi-component modelling, with PFA-lined flow cells and sapphire optical windows — supplying inline concentration monitoring to FABs across China (SMIC, Hua Hong, YMTC, NAURA, Hefei Crystal Integration).

Process challenges

HF corrodes glass, quartz and stainless steel — conventional contact sensors fail fast and contaminate wafer lots (single batch worth hundreds of K USD)
Multi-component baths (SPM, BHF) need 3-4 species measured simultaneously — traditional offline requires 4× sampling + 4 lab setups
14 / 7 nm nodes tolerate only ±1% — drift directly hits yield (each yield point ≈ 0.5-1% revenue)
FABs restrict personnel ingress; frequent sampling is unacceptable; HF and H₂SO₄ exposure risk
Bath life decisions are guesswork — premature change wastes electronic-grade chemicals (electronic HF ≈ USD 12K / ton)

Measurement point	Principle	Models
Wet etch bath (HF + H₂SO₄ + H₃PO₄ + DI, 4-component)	Spectroscopic + MLR	PS7100
CMP slurry concentration	Spectroscopic / refractive	PS7100 / PS7110
Wafer clean bath (SPM / BHF)	Spectroscopic	PS7100
High-purity chemical blending station	Refractive / ultrasonic SoS	PS7110 / PS7020

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Guides

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Comparisons

PS7100 Pisonics Spectroscopy vs Mettler Toledo InPro Concentration Meter PS7100 and Mettler Toledo InPro are both optical concentration analyzers. This table compares UV-Vis-NIR spectral coverage, multi-component capability, industry fit.

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Industry FAQ

What does semiconductor ultra-pure chemical concentration monitoring require?

In semiconductor wet‑process operations (etching, CMP, cleaning), ultrapure chemicals (HF, H2SO4, H3PO4, KOH, etc.) are used, placing the following requirements on density meters:

Wetted materials must ensure zero metal ion contamination—sapphire, PTFE, and Teflon‑PFA.
High concentration accuracy is required (a deviation of ≤ 0.1 wt% can affect product yield).
Simultaneous measurement of multiple components is needed (e.g., a mixed etchant of HF + HNO3 + H2SO4).
A hygienic surface finish is essential to prevent particle contamination.
Long‑term stability is critical, as semiconductor production lines operate 24/7 without downtime.

Recommended models: PS7100 spectral method (multi‑component MLR modeling, no wetted body, sapphire window); PS7110 refractometer (sapphire prism resistant to HF); PS7020 sound velocity method (PTFE wetted parts, highly acid‑resistant).

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