THRUST A:  Back-End Processes

Among the Environment, Safety & Health (ESH) issues currently facing the semiconductor industry in the back-end area are the use and emission of perfluorocompounds (PFCs) from dielectric wafer etch and PECVD chamber cleaning processes, environmental issues associated with slurry waste from CMP processes, and the need for a low-k dielectric technology that results in less waste and emissions.  It is the goal of the investigators in Thrust A to develop technological solutions that address these issues.

ERC researchers at MIT, the University of California-Berkeley, Purdue University, and the University of Arizona are currently working on the following research areas:

[UPDATE IN PROGRESS ]