In the front-end core production flow of semiconductor chips, photoresist stripping and removal after etching and ion implantation is one of the most frequent and critical steps in the entire manufacturing process. Photoresist serves as the key medium for pattern transfer in wafer processing. The fabrication of a high-end chip often requires stacked processing of 10 to 15 layers of circuits, meaning the photoresist stripping process must be repeated the same number of times.

Traditional cleaning methods not only feature low stripping efficiency but also tend to cause irreversible damage to the delicate circuits on wafers. In contrast, the plasma generated by microwave plasma equipment achieves higher photoresist removal efficiency than conventional radio frequency (RF) plasma, while enabling damage-free processing throughout the entire procedure, which perfectly meets the nanometer-scale precision requirements of front-end chip manufacturing.

If chip design and front-end manufacturing determine the upper limit of chip performance, then packaging technology determines whether chip performance can be stably exerted and whether its service life can meet standards.

As the operating speed and integration efficiency of chips continue to break through, they rely on the support of more stable and optimized packaging processes. In particular, the large-scale application of advanced packaging technologies such as flip-chip, multi-chip modules and copper lead frames has raised unprecedented requirements for the cleanliness of pre-treatment on packaging interfaces.

Microwave plasma cleaning equipment can completely remove trace organic contaminants and oxide layers on packaging interfaces, significantly improve the bonding strength between chips and packaging substrates, and greatly reduce the risk of packaging delamination and failure. It has become standard equipment widely adopted by major chip packaging and testing manufacturers around the world.

Represented by silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide and indium phosphide, new wide-bandgap semiconductor materials have become ideal core materials for manufacturing high-temperature, high-frequency, high-power, radiation-resistant, short-wavelength light-emitting and optoelectronic integrated devices. This is thanks to their wider bandgap, higher critical breakdown field strength, and superior electron mobility and thermal conductivity. The large-scale application of these materials has brought a qualitative leap to the core performance of military equipment such as radar, intelligent weapons, electronic countermeasure systems and secure communication systems, as well as civil products including 5G base stations and new energy vehicles.

Microwave plasma cleaning equipment is a key core device in the preparation of such new semiconductor devices. It is widely adopted in the production of military electronic and high-end semiconductors overseas, whether for military hybrid integrated circuits based on gallium arsenide and indium phosphide, or for the manufacturing of third-generation semiconductor devices centered on silicon carbide and gallium nitride.

In summary, microwave plasma cleaning technology has completely revolutionized the cleaning mode of traditional electronic manufacturing and achieved a comprehensive performance upgrade over traditional radio frequency plasma cleaning technology. It has not only been widely applied in the cleaning processes of various electrostatic-sensitive components and high-end military semiconductor manufacturing, but also driven the technological upgrading and iteration of the entire electronic information industry at the fundamental level, making it a veritable "invisible hero" in the field of high-end manufacturing.