New ACT® EZSTRIP® 527 Aids Single Wafer ProcessingAir Products is introducing ACT® EZSTRIP® 527, a novel product that can effectively and selectively remove bi-layer resists when used on an SEZ Single Wafer Spin Processor. The new addition to the company’s ACT line of electronic formulated products is the result of a collaboration among researchers from SEZ AG, Villach, Austria; Advanced Micro Devices’ Fab 30 and 36, Dresden, Germany; and the Air Products Electronics Formulated Product (EFP) Technology team. ACT EZSTRIP 527 is being unveiled at the 2007 Sematech Surface Preparation and Cleaning Conference being held in Austin in April. Arifin Budihardjo, ACT product manager responsible for new product development, said this latest addition to the company’s portfolio is in response to the increasingly popular back end of line (BEOL) cleaning in single wafer wet processing rather than in batches. “The single wafer approach is being extended to processes beyond post-etch residue removal. One such process is all-wet photoresist removal,” said Budihardjo. “Traditionally, batch process tools or wet benches have been primarily used in BEOL resist removal due to their ability to handle existing chemistries used for this application However, as the technological requirements of this application become more stringent, suppliers like Air Products are responding by developing novel chemistries appropriate for use on single wafer tools, now the preferred method of stripping rather than in batches.” The major advantage of ACT EZSTRIP 527 is that it selectively dissolves the bi-layer photoresist layers using a single wafer process that does not damage the underlying low-k or copper interconnect. Scanning electron microscope and light-point defect detection analysis of wafers cleaned with the new ACT EZSTRIP 527 revealed high residue removal efficiency and low defect count. The results of the research are contained in a paper, “Photoresist Stripper Development for Bi-Layer Photoresist Rework Using a Single Wafer Tool Process.” 
Before and after examples of ACT® EZSTRIP® 527 BEOL cleaning Electronics E-Learning Center If you haven’t checked out the Air Products Electronics E-Learning Center, we invite you to do so. Our Electronics E-Learning Center is a way to share knowledge. It’s your resource to our latest technical information. Now you can download our new Podcasts, featuring conversations on some of our key product offerings and developments within our Electronics Division. You can also pick a topic and listen to narrated PowerPoint presentations, or download recently published articles, and technical papers. We hope you find this information helpful. And we welcome your suggestions and feedback on how we can make it even more effective. You can access the E-Learning Center at www.airproducts.com/electronics. For additional information on our photoresist strippers, please contact Arifin Budihardjo | 
