← Back to Patent Explorer
EP0276774A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Composition for use in the processing of semiconductor materials and method for its preparation and use

Assignee: Micro Image Technology Ltd
•
Filing: 1988-01-22
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2008-01-22
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A storable semiconductor cleaning solution consists essentially of sulphuric acid at a concentration of from 30% to 70% and hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of from 1% to 20% preferably also containing a pentavalent phosphorus sequestrant and tin ions. The solution is produced by diluting concentrated sulphuric acid, ageing the diluted acid until it reaches a temperature below 30°C and introducing the hydrogen peroxide, preferably having a concentration of at least 70% by weight, into the aged acid and equilibrating the resulting solution. The cleaning solutions can be stored for an extended period at ambient temperature and can be used to clean semiconductors, and with suitable precautions aluminised semiconductors, at temperatures below 100°C.

Inventors

  • 👤 David John Lapham
  • 👤 Geoffrey Hitchmough

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 03:14
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P70/00; H10P70/20; H10P70/10; H10P70/15; C; C11; C11D; C11D2111/00; C11D2111/10; C11D2111/14; C11D2111/22; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/906

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim 29 words
A storable semiconductor cleaning solution consisting essentially of water, sulphuric acid at from 30% to 70% concentration by weight and hydrogen peroxide at from 1% to 20% by weight.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 29 words
A storable semiconductor cleaning solution consisting essentially of water, sulphuric acid at from 30% to 70% concentration by weight and hydrogen peroxide at from 1% to 20% by weight.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 23 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sulphuric acid is at a concentration of not more than 65% by weight.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 25 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the hydrogen peroxide is at a concentration of not more than 17% by weight.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 13 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in any preceding claim also containing a sequestrant.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 15 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in claim 4 containing at least 0.1% of the sequestrant.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 18 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein the sequestrant is a pentavalent phosphorus compound.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 13 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in any preceding claim also containing tin ions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 23 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in claim 7 containing at least 0.02 ppm by weight of a soluble tin compound expressed as Sn.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 23 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in any preceding claim containing not more than 0.2 ppm of a soluble tin compound expressed as Sn.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 18 words
A cleaning solution as claimed in any preceding claim containing less than 0.5 wt % of the sequestrant.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 56 words
A process for the production of a cleaning solution as claimed in any preceding claim comprising diluting sulphuric acid by the addition of water, ageing the diluted acid until its temperature has dropped to below 30°C, introducing the hydrogen peroxide into the aged sulphuric acid while maintaining its temperature below 30°C, and equilibrating the resulting solution.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 25 words
a process as claimed in claim 11 wherein the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide added to the diluted acid is at least 30% by weight.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 25 words
A process as claimed in claim 11 wherein the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide added to the diluted acid is at least 65% by weight.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 21 words
A process as claimed in claim 11 wherein the diluted acid has a concentration of not more than 80% by weight.
Claim 16
Independent Claim 23 words
A method of cleaning a semiconductor comprising contacting it with a cleaning solution as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.
Claim 17
Independent Claim 26 words
A method of cleaning a semiconductor comprising contacting it with a cleaning solution produced by the process claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 23 words
A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16 wherein the cleaning solution has a temperature of from ambient temperature to below 100°C.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

No citation records indexed.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag