Perfluoroelastomer parts for sealing plasma etch and deposition processes

The company has developed Kalrez 9300 perfluoroelastomer parts for chip manufacturers who utilise oxygen and fluorine-based plasma for wafer etch, to overcome the erosion of seals exposed to aggressive processing or cleaning chemistry. Unlike many elastomers that typically erode and cause unwanted particles in such ion-rich environments, Kalrez 9300 perfluoroelastomer parts are said to offer exceptional sealing performance in a variety of etch conditions. The perfluoroelastomer parts allows chip manufacturers to use one product to solve a variety of sealing issues where previously several were required.

Kalrez 9500 has been developed specifically to resist the aggressive process chemistry used by chip manufacturers in SACVD and ash/strip processes, by demonstrating very low weight loss in remotely generated plasma, and has good resistance to ozone, ammonia, and water vapour. According to DuPont, Kalrez 9500 offers better resistance to oxygen and fluorine radicals that can erode traditional seal materials, good heat resistance with very low outgassing, and a maximum continuous service temperature rating of 310 °C.