Formation and Suppression of Photoresist-Derived Polymer Sludge in Packaging Process

초록

In this study, we investigated the formation mechanism of polymer-based chemical sludge arising from photoresist (PR) reactions in advanced semiconductor packaging processes and proposed a surfactant-based suppression strategy. Reproducible experiments using semiconductor-relevant chemicals confirmed that the sludge originates from hydrolysis and condensation of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) in DI water, which subsequently interacts with PR and developer to generate polymeric aggregates. These aggregates are stabilized through hydrophobic interactions and inter-polymer entanglement, leading to persistent sludge. Various ionic and nonionic surfactants were evaluated to suppress this formation by disrupting polymer?polymer and polymer?surface interactions. Our experimental results show that surfactants with long hydrocarbon chains effectively prevented hydrophobic aggregation between sludge seeds, PR residues, and developer components. This work highlights a polymer science-based strategy to control undesired sludge formation in semiconductor packaging industry. - 본 연구는 2025년도 정부(교육부)의 재원으로 한국연구재단의 지원을 받아 수행된 기초연구사업임(RS-2022-NR070869). Keywords: Advanced packaging, Semiconductor sludge, Industrial waste, Hydrolysis and condensation.