Semiconductor, or IC wafer fabrication, circuit design, photoresist coating, etching, metallization, and chemical vapor deposition are just some of the steps in the extremely complex front-end wafer fabrication phase and many steps are repeated multiple times through the process. Although semiconductor manufacturers and fabrication suppliers rely on R&D guidance to employ the right materials, chemicals and processes for full-scale production, the need for real time process monitoring still challenges technicians and lab managers. Trace metal and organic contaminates from chemicals, speciality gas, cleaning reagents and solvents, all pose sample introduction and testing accuracy challenges. Due to the high volumes of samples being tested during a 24/7 operation, testing solutions must be extremely robust, rapid quality control must be imbedded in the process and mechanisms must be in place to protect the manufacturing process from these contaminates. Semiconductor testing solutions must be flexible and designed to integrate with online sampling platforms automatically alter production environments and alert lab personnel to impurities being introduced during fabrication phases.
