Academic Awards 2025 booklet

69 In the quest to make Integrated Circuits (ICs) smaller, semiconductor manufacturers are exploring advanced techniques to create tiny components. This effort is closely tied to the challenge of contamination, which greatly affects the manufacturing process and the reliability of ICs. As a result, there's a growing focus on identifying contamination sources during manufacturing. Through extensive tests, we studied how silicon behaves under different loading conditions, and validated a numerical material scratch model. Figure 1 shows the successful validation of the scratch model and provides insights into the material behavior of silicon (S.O. Sperling et al. 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ijsolstr.2024.112809). Scratch tests showed how different pressures affect plastic deformation, with measurements confirming more material loss at higher pressures. Comparing experimental scratch patterns with numerical models validated our findings. We found that silicon loses its crystal structure under lower pressures, while higher pressures cause it to re-crystallize and crack beneath the surface, leading to material detachment, Figure 2. The project met its goals, combining experimental and numerical results to provide insights into contamination. These findings not only improve our understanding of how silicon interacts with manufacturing equipment but also promise future advancements in semiconductor manufacturing. Toward understanding wear particle generation on silicon wafers Figure 1: Steady-state post-scratch profiles and cross- sections for normal loads (a) F n = 20 mN, (b) F n = 30 mN, (c) F n = 40 mN and (d) F n = 50 mN. The top: the surface profiles for three separate scratch experiments. On the bottom: surface cross-sections of the three experimental segments (averaged in the scratch direction) versus the numerical result (black dashed line). Figure 2: The behavior of silicon during nano-indentation testing. Here the material behavior is shown as a function of maximum applied normal load (y-axis) versus the unloading rate, the re-crystallization (pop-out) is shown to be more present for lower unloading rates. Indicating a material transformation that is dependent on loading conditions. Figure 1: Steady-state post-scratch profiles and cross-sections for normal loads (a) = 20 mN, (b) = 30 mN, (c) = 40 mN and (d) = 50 mN. The top: the surfa e profiles for three separate scratch experiments. On the bottom: surface cross-sections of the three experimental segments (averaged in the scratch direction) versus the numerical result (black dashed line). These images are taken directly from S.O. Sperling et al. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2024.112809). Figure 2: The behavior of silicon during nano-indentation testing. Here the material behavior is shown as a function of maximum applied normal load (y-axis) versus the unloading rate, the re-crystallization (pop-out) is shown to be more present for lower unloading rates. Indicating a material transformation that is dependent on lo ding conditions.