Product Briefing Outline: Carpenter Advanced Ceramics, Inc. (CAC) has developed a new 99.8% pure alumina, specifically for semiconductor processing. CAC998 is an etch-grade material that is claimed to offer improved plasma and chemical resistance by eliminating free silica at the grain boundaries and having low silica content in the material matrix.

Solution: During wafer processing, particle generation is virtually eliminated by CAC998 alumina, thus safeguarding the integrity of the silicon wafers. Therefore, CAC998 may help reduce wafer rejects, improve part life and substantially increase yields. In addition to eliminating free silica at the grain boundaries, CAC998 is formulated to provide what the company believes to be the best dielectric strength of any commercially available polycrystalline. The result is a claimed improvement in plasma chamber cleaning cycles. CAC998 can survive more "in-situ" and "ex-situ" cleans, equating to longer process kit life and greater part throughput with existing kits, according to the company. The good thermal shock resistance of the new high-purity alumina enables it to withstand fast, large fluctuations in temperature while in the chamber, without cracking or fracturing. This attribute allows the semiconductor manufacturer to reduce cycle times by permitting more rapid temperature changes.

Applications: Parts made from CAC998 alumina are manufactured to customer specifications. These parts can be considered for all front-end processes including etch, PVD, CVD, CMP, ion implant and photolithography.

Platform: Proprietary atomization technology using 99.8% pure alumina.

Availability: October 2005 onwards.