A Korean research team succeeded in developing manufacturing technology for plasma-resistant nanostructured composite

ceramics for the first time in Korea. With this technology, the particle issue, an obstacle to miniaturization of semiconductor

line width, can be resolved.

The research team, led by Dr. Young-Jo Park, conducted the research jointly with MiCo Ceramics Ltd. (CEO Moon-Won Yeo) to

develop a new plasma ceramic material for the first time in Korea which was expected to reduce contaminants inside

semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The team is in the Department of Engineering Ceramics at the Korea Institute of

Materials Science, a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and

ICT.

Plasma etching is widely used to manufacture semiconductors. In this process, the silicon wafers and the components inside

the equipment is exposed to plasma irradiation, resulting in generating contaminant particles, which is the major cause of

chip failure.

High-power plasma etching is required as the semiconductor line width is miniaturized. New plasma-resistant materials are

urgently required to minimize the generation of contamination particles.

Two variables to prevent contaminant particles in the plasma irradiating process for material etching are the maintenance of “low

etching rate” and “low surface roughness.”

The research team succeeded in developing full density sintering without residual pores and minimizing the etching rate by

applying the pore-free, full theoretical density sintering technology which was already secured by developing the transparent

ceramics to the yttria-magnesia (Y2O3·MgO) composite ceramics.

In addition, by combining yttria (Y2O3) and magnesia (MgO), which have proven plasma resistance to suppress grain growth

in the sintering process, a microstructure at the level of 300 nanometers (nm), the lowest surface roughness, was achieved.