Effects of Ionizer Installation Conditions on Electrostatic Control Performance during Semiconductor Fabrication

Electrostatic discharge and particle contamination caused by static electricity contribute to yield loss during semiconductor manufacturing. Using insulating materials in process equipment causes static charge accumulation. Even small amounts of static charge can severely damage metal lines, gate oxides, or insulating layers. Although corona ionizers are widely adopted to control such issues, their performance is highly sensitive to installation conditions, including the position, angle, distance, and airflow. Improper conditions cause ion imbalance, fuzzball particle formation, and metal spattering, potentially leading to wafer defects that reduce the overall yield. Here, the correlation between fuzzball particles and wafer defects is verified using scanning electron microscopy and defect mapping. Root causes are identified and optimization strategies are suggested by evaluating ionizer installation angles and offsets within equipment front end modules and quantitatively measuring charge and discharge performance. The results provide foundational data for standardizing ionizer installation and improving process yields .