Agilent Technologies Europe has announced the release of an application note, 'Analysis of semiconductor grade sulphuric acid using the Agilent 7500s ICP-MS'
The determination of metallic impurities in the high purity reagents used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices is more important than ever before.
The continued development of ultra-large-scale-integration (ULSI) semiconductor devices is resulting in an increase in device density, which can increase the frequency of failures due to the presence of metallic contaminants in the device.
Since the reagents used in the production process are a significant source of metallic contamination, reagent vendors are continually working to develop products with lower levels of metallic impurities.
The application note demonstrates the suitability of ICP-MS for the determination of metallic impurities in semiconductor grade sulphuric acid.
The Agilent 7500s ICP-MS instrument with its ShieldTorch technology was used to analyse sulphuric acid for all the metals required by the semiconductor industry.
The enhanced ShieldTorch system virtually eliminates interferences that affect the analysis of K, Ca and Fe by ICP-MS.
The use of a Micro Flow nebuliser, Peltier cooled spray chamber, and optimised sampling depth ensures nearly complete decomposition of the sulphuric acid in the plasma resulting in superior signal stability and a reduced frequency of routine maintenance.
In addition, the new Omega II lens design in the Agilent 7500s provides excellent signal/background for exceptional detection limits even in this complex matrix.
Sample preparation is a simple 10x dilution followed by direct analysis thereby significantly reducing the potential for the sample contamination frequently encountered with evaporative matrix elimination techniques.
The excellent detection limits of the Agilent 7500s ICP-MS enable the ppt level determination of impurities in the concentrated acid -- even for particularly difficult elements such as Zn.
In addition, the patented ShieldTorch system reduces the spectral interferences on K, Ca and Fe to enable the Agilent 7500s to exceed current industry detection limit requirements for these elements.
This application note is available without charge from any Agilent sales office or from Agilent's Chemical Analysis Group website.
