Polymers often need activation without excessive etching, while metals may require oxide or organic removal. Recipe selection should reflect the surface chemistry and the next adhesive, coating, or bonding step.
Under-cleaning, over-etching, poor uniformity, redeposition, and surface damage usually point to an unstable recipe, chamber condition, loading pattern, or material mismatch.
Oxygen, argon, nitrogen, hydrogen-containing blends, and fluorine chemistry produce different reactions. Gas choice depends on the contamination, substrate, downstream process, and safety requirements.
Power, pressure, gas flow, treatment time, and chamber geometry determine cleaning rate and surface impact. These settings should be developed as a connected process window rather than adjusted independently.
Particles, scratches, electrostatic discharge, and chemical residues can create hidden yield loss. Controlled carriers, qualified tools, clean-room practices, and careful transfer methods reduce these risks.
Clean surfaces are essential before deposition, bonding, coating, or inspection. Cleaning chemistry must remove particles, organics, oxides, and metallic contamination without damaging device structures.
Packaging reliability depends on stable materials, controlled assembly, and verification under realistic stresses. Typical evaluations include temperature cycling, humidity exposure, mechanical tests, and electrical monitoring.
Mold compounds, die-attach materials, substrates, leadframes, bonding wires, and underfills work as one material system. Their thermal expansion, moisture behavior, adhesion, and cleanliness strongly influence reliability.
Package selection affects board area, signal integrity, heat dissipation, manufacturability, and inspection. Common choices include leaded packages, QFN, BGA, wafer-level packages, and advanced multi-die modules.