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EtchngCeanngPhotoresistremovingHgh-puritychemicalsExposing andchemicalsHgh-puritydeveopngPhotoresistcoatingPhotoresistCeanngDepositionCeanngWafer manufacturingUltrapure waterUltrapure waterUltrapure waterUltrapure waterUltrapure waterlili liiliiiInspection/assemblyThe Little-Known Technologies Contributing to the Development of Liquid-Borne Particle CountersThe demand for semiconductors continues to grow globally.Cleanliness control is an essential requirement for semiconductor manufacturing facilities.What technologies and ideas underlie the development of the KS-20F, the product that supports these facilities?The never-ending evolution of semicon-ductorsSmartphones have become an indis-pensable part of our lives. At the core of the latest smartphones is a semiconduc-tor that can have as many as 16 billion transistors. In addition, a single smart-phone unit is equipped with an astonish-ing variety of semiconductors, including those that implement the communica-tion controls required to exchange large volumes of data, for power-saving tech-niques that extend battery life, and for image processing for photos and videos captured by the camera. Semiconductors are also found in automotive driver assis-tance systems like adaptive cruise control (ACC), in which an onboard computer automatically operates the accelerator and brake based on information obtained from cameras, radars, and other sensors mounted on the car. These and other conveniences we now enjoy in our daily lives have been made possible by advanc-es in semiconductor technology.How are semiconductors made?How are semiconductors made? In short, electronic circuits are formed by repeatedly applying a photosensitive material (photoresist) onto an extremely flat and polished substrate (wafer), IN THE BACKYARDKS-20F liquid-borne particle counterThe minimum measurable particle diameter in liquid is 0.02 µm. Seven ranges of particle size from 0.02 µm to 0.08 µm can be set by the user. The model is compatible with hydrofluoric acid solutions.Semiconductor preprocessIn the preprocess stage of semiconductor manufactur-ing, a cycle of multiple steps involving ultrapure water and high purity chemicals is continuously repeated. Par-ticle counters are responsi-ble for measuring the purity of the water and chemicals.Repeatedexposing and developing the material using technologies similar to those used in developing photographs, then etching (a surface processing technique using corrosive action).The water (ultrapure water), photore-sists, and the various chemicals used in these processes must be of the highest purity, with minimal impurities present. Rion's liquid-borne particle counters are used to control and ensure the quality of these products.Furthermore, the finer the line of the electronic circuit formed in a semicon-ductor, the higher the number of transis-tors that can be mounted per unit area and the better the performance and the lower the power consumption of the fin-ished semiconductor. As explained above, in the most advanced semiconductors, which now have more than 10 billion transistors embedded inside a few square centimeters, the lines are finer than 10 nm (0.01 µm). That’s smaller than a grain of pollen (about 30 µm) or even a virus (about 0.1 µm).A Pioneer of Liquid-Borne Particle Counters in JapanRion released Japan’s first domestical-ly made liquid-borne particle counter, the KL-01, in 1985. In 1987, we launched the KL-21, which used sapphire, a material capable of withstanding the chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. With the abovementioned nar-rowing of circuit line widths associated with higher density integration in recent years, stricter quality requirements came to be standard for the ultrapure water, pho-toresists, and the various chemicals used in the manufacturing process. In 2009, in 14On the Front Lines of Technology Development The Particle Counters that Help Bring About the Convenient World of Semiconductors

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