| HS Code | 220707 |
| Product Type | CMP Wetting Agent (Electronic/EL Grade) |
| Physical State | Liquid |
| Appearance | Clear, colorless to slightly yellow liquid |
| Active Content | >99.9% |
| Ph 1 Solution | 6.0 - 8.0 |
| Specific Gravity | 1.01 - 1.05 at 20°C |
| Viscosity | 40 - 80 cP at 20°C |
| Surface Tension | <30 dynes/cm |
| Water Content | <0.5% |
| Ionic Impurities | <1 ppm each for Na, K, Fe, Ca, Mg |
| Particle Count | <100 particles/mL at >0.5 µm |
| Shelf Life | 12 months from date of manufacture |
As an accredited CMP Wetting Agent Electronic/EL Grade factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Available in 1-gallon bottles and 5-gallon pails, packaged in clean, inert containers to ensure electronic-grade purity. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL container loaded with CMP Wetting Agent Electronic/EL Grade, packed in sealed drums, secured for safe transport. |
| Shipping | The product is a liquid chemical supplied in sealed HDPE containers or drums. It is typically classified as non-hazardous for transport, requiring no UN dangerous goods designation. Shipments should be protected from freezing, heat, and direct sunlight, and secured upright to prevent leaks. Standard PPE handling and clean, labeled packaging are required. |
| Storage | Store in a clean, tightly sealed original container in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Protect from moisture, heat, direct sunlight, and incompatible materials such as strong oxidizers. Avoid contamination to maintain Electronic/EL Grade purity. Use appropriate containment and follow the manufacturer’s SDS for specific temperature limits and shelf-life requirements. |
| Shelf Life | Store tightly sealed in original container under recommended conditions; shelf life is typically 12 months from manufacture date. |
Dynamic surface tension, not equilibrium contact angle, determines pad–wafer wetting on 300 mm copper damascene logic production. A polyether-modified acetylenic diol, dosed at 0.03 wt% of total slurry mass, reduces maximum bubble pressure dynamic surface tension to 33–38 mN/m at 80 s⁻¹ surface age when measured according to ASTM D1331-20. The bulk copper slurry in which it is applied contains 1.0–5.0 wt% fumed silica of 60–120 nm mean particle diameter, 0.5–2.0 wt% hydrogen peroxide, 0.05–0.15 wt% benzotriazole, and nitric acid to pH 4.0–5.0. On a rotary polisher with 750–1000 mm platen, 6.9–20.7 kPa downforce, 90–110 rpm platen speed and 85–103 rpm carrier speed, the wetting agent maintains a continuous slurry film across the pad land areas and prevents particle dry-out at the retaining-ring periphery. The pad is a polyurethane closed-cell design with Shore D hardness 52–58 and k-groove configuration. Addition above 0.08 wt% suppresses copper removal by competing with benzotriazole for Cu(I) surface sites, while addition below 0.015 wt% is associated with pad glazing and micro-scratch populations above 20 defects per wafer at 0.16 µm threshold on a bright-field inspection tool. The polished copper wiring in 28 nm, 14 nm, 7 nm, 5 nm, and 3 nm logic nodes must retain <5 nm dishing in 50 µm line arrays after 60 s overpolish. Final devices include application processors, baseband transceivers, and AI accelerators. The electronic/EL grade wetting agent entering this slurry class is qualified against the acceptance matrix below.
| Property | Method | EL-grade limit |
|---|---|---|
| Alkali metals (Na, K, Li) | ICP-MS after acid digestion | < 50 ppb each |
| Transition metals (Fe, Cu, Ni, Cr) | ICP-MS after acid digestion | < 20 ppb total |
| Chloride | Ion chromatography | < 0.1 ppm |
| Sulfate | Ion chromatography | < 0.5 ppm |
| Surface tension at 0.1 wt% in DI water | ASTM D1331-20 | 25–35 mN/m |
| Nonvolatile residue at 105 °C | Gravimetric | < 50 ppm |
| Airborne particle count ≥ 0.1 µm | ISO 21501-4 light obscuration | < 100 particles/mL |
In shallow trench isolation oxide CMP, ceria abrasive has an isoelectric point near 6.5–7.0; at pH 4.5–5.5 its positive surface charge is sufficiently high to cause heteroaggregation with silicon nitride stop-layer debris. An anionic phosphate ester wetting agent, dosed at 0.05–0.15 wt% relative to slurry mass, adsorbs onto ceria particle surfaces and shifts zeta potential from +25 mV to −15 mV at pH 5.0, measured by electrophoretic light scattering in 1 mM KCl background. The cost of excessive adsorption is a measurable drop in oxide removal rate: ceria slurries with 0.20 wt% wetting agent show up to 12% lower blanket oxide removal than the same slurry at 0.05 wt% under 20.7 kPa downforce and 80 rpm platen speed. Production STI polish on 300 mm wafers uses 0.5–2.0 wt% ceria of 30–60 m²/g BET surface area measured per ISO 9277:2022, pH 4.5–5.5, and a hard polyurethane pad with 0.25–0.50 mm groove width. The target oxide removal rate is 150–350 nm/min with nitride selectivity better than 20:1. After slurry aging for 24 h at 23 °C, the wetting agent must maintain median particle size below 250 nm and settled volume below 2 vol% in a graduated cylinder. The final STI structures in embedded flash, 3D NAND peripheral circuits, and 7 nm logic require field-oxide dishing below 30 nm and nitride loss below 5 nm. Device structures include DRAM cell isolation, embedded flash wordline isolation, and logic standard-cell isolation.
Tungsten contact and via polishing in acidic ferric nitrate slurries operates at pH 2.0–3.5, where ferric nitrate acts as the primary oxidizer at 0.1–0.5 wt% and silica abrasive is present at 2.0–10.0 wt%. The wetting agent must remain acid-stable and must not chelate ferric ions; a short-chain nonionic surfactant with HLB 10–13 is therefore used at 0.02–0.10 wt%. Surface tension of the final slurry is held at 35–45 mN/m by ASTM D1331-20. The process window on production polishers is 4.0–7.0 psi downforce, 100–120 rpm platen speed, 95–115 rpm head speed, and slurry flow 150–300 mL/min. Endpoint detection uses motor-current or optical through-pad reflectance; overpolish of 20–40% past endpoint removes tungsten residues from dense and isolated contact arrays without total stack loss. Wetting agent concentration above 0.12 wt% reduces tungsten removal rate by more than 10% because the adsorbed surfactant layer impedes ferric ion access to the oxidized WOx surface; below 0.01 wt%, post-polish corrosion defects appear as plug seams and ring-shaped recesses with depth >5 nm. Final tungsten plug diameter ranges 0.30–0.50 µm in DRAM cells and 0.20–0.35 µm in 3D NAND wordline contacts; allowed tungsten recess after post-CMP clean is <5 nm. Compliance limits for transition metal contaminants are <20 ppb total by ICP-MS, and fluoride is held below 5 ppm because HF residues attack the titanium liner at the W/Ti/TiN interface.
In a 600 mm × 600 mm panel-level copper redistribution line, the polishing area is larger and slurry residence time on the pad is longer than in wafer-scale damascene. The substrate is an epoxy-molding-compound or glass carrier with a sputtered copper seed layer and patterned polyimide dielectric. The wetting agent must lower surface tension sufficiently to wet 2–10 µm RDL features and simultaneously avoid foaming in a high-recirculation slurry delivery system. A non-silicone polyalkylene glycol at 0.005–0.10 wt% is added to a slurry containing 0.1–5.0 wt% colloidal silica of 20–50 nm primary particle size, with pH adjusted to 8.0–10.0. Panel polishers with 1500 mm platen diameter and nonwoven polyurethane pads are operated at 10.3–27.6 kPa downforce and 40–80 rpm platen speed. Slurry flow is increased to 500–1000 mL/min because the panel surface area is larger than a 300 mm wafer. The wetting agent reduces post-polish copper contact angle to <20° measured by sessile drop per ASTM D7334-08, preventing slurry droplet evaporation and copper oxide ring formation before cleaning. Published panel-level removal-rate data for this specific slurry configuration are limited; process engineers rely on blanket copper film test panels and in-situ friction monitoring to set endpoint. The final products are fan-out RDL traces with line/space 2/2 µm to 10/10 µm for mobile processors, RF modems, and power management packages. Qualification requires <1 ng/cm² copper residue on polyimide after cleaning, <10 ppb extractable anions by ion chromatography, and no delamination at 260 °C reflow per J-STD-020D.1.
Porous SiOC low-k films with dielectric constant 2.5–2.7 undergo capillary-pressure-driven pattern collapse during polishing because the solid–liquid–vapour interface dominates at 35–50 nm pitch. Reducing liquid surface tension from 72 mN/m to 28–32 mN/m lowers capillary pressure by approximately 58–61% according to the Laplace relation P=2γ cosθ/r. A nonionic alcohol ethoxylate wetting agent with HLB 12–14 and molecular weight 400–600 g/mol is dosed at 0.02–0.12 wt% of slurry mass; this class is selected because it leaves no ionic residue that would shift the dielectric constant after anneal. The slurry itself contains 0.5–2.0 wt% colloidal silica at pH 8.5–10.5 and 0.1–0.5 wt% citric acid as a complexing agent. Process restrictions are severe: downforce must not exceed 10.3 kPa, platen speed is held at 40–60 rpm, and polishing time is limited to 30–90 s after endpoint. Slurry flow of 150–250 mL/min is used to prevent local concentration gradients. The wetting agent must not contain amine functionality because amine-based additives increase moisture uptake and raise k-value by 0.1–0.3 after 200 °C curing. Final BEOL structures at 45 nm through 3 nm nodes, including RC-critical signal lines and clock trees, rely on intact low-k sidewalls without cracking or collapse. Qualification uses SEM cross-section of 35–50 nm pitch comb structures; allowable profile deviation is <1.0 nm line-edge roughness increase after CMP.
For silicon carbide C-face polishing of 4H-SiC power-metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, the alkaline slurry contains 5–30 wt% colloidal silica, 1–3 wt% potassium permanganate or 2–5 wt% hydrogen peroxide, and pH 10.0–11.0. The wetting agent must be stable under strongly oxidizing conditions and is introduced at 0.02–0.20 wt%; a sulfosuccinate-type anionic wetting agent is used because it maintains low foam in high-pH silica dispersions and adsorbs to the SiC surface to reduce particle adhesion. Polishing on 300 mm or 200 mm SiC wafers uses 13.8–27.6 kPa downforce, 40–80 rpm platen speed, and ex-situ diamond pad conditioning at 0.05–0.10 mm depth cut. Wetting agent dosage influences edge roll-off: above 0.15 wt%, the lubricating film thickness increases and center removal drops by 8–15% relative to edge removal, increasing total thickness variation. Below 0.02 wt%, transient dry spots at the wafer edge generate sub-surface damage that may not be detected until post-anneal stacking fault expansion. Final 150 mm SiC wafers used for 650 V and 1200 V MOSFETs require Ra <0.1 nm by atomic force microscopy over a 10 µm × 10 µm scan per ISO 4287, total surface metal contamination <1×10¹⁰ atoms/cm² for Fe, Cu, Ni measured by vapor-phase decomposition ICP-MS, and edge exclusion <2 mm.
Via-mid and via-last through-silicon via integration force the copper overburden removal step to planarize 5–10 µm electroplated copper on a thinned wafer bonded to a glass or silicon carrier. The wetting agent has to remain chemically inert against temporary bonding adhesives and must not penetrate into the bond edge. A nonionic alcohol alkoxylate at 0.01–0.08 wt% is added to a slurry containing 1–5 wt% alumina-coated silica or silica abrasive at pH 8.0–9.5. Polishing is performed on 300 mm equipment with 6.9–20.7 kPa downforce, 80–110 rpm platen speed, and 150–300 mL/min slurry flow. The wetting agent lowers slurry surface tension to 30–35 mN/m so that slurry reaches the bottom of 10–50 µm deep via-reveal trenches without air entrapment. After polishing, wafer edge adhesive exposure requires wetting agent residues to be removable by alkaline post-CMP cleaning at pH 11.0 and 40 °C for 60 s. Final TSV interconnects in high-bandwidth memory stacks and 2.5D silicon interposers require copper protrusion <100 nm above dielectric, no voids at the Cu/Si interface, and total defect count <50 defects per wafer at 0.16 µm inspection threshold.
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CMP Wetting Agent Electronic/EL Grade, model CMP-WA-EL-10, is a 10 wt% active nonionic alcohol ethoxylate concentrate intended for formulation into semiconductor chemical mechanical planarization slurries. It is filtered through a 0.1 µm membrane before packaging and is supplied without silicone defoamer, amine-based corrosion inhibitor, or fluorosurfactant. The product reduces the surface tension of oxide, tungsten, and copper barrier slurries to 30–40 mN/m at active concentrations between 0.02 wt% and 0.20 wt% as measured by ASTM D1331-14 at 25 °C. Electronic/EL Grade designation reflects tightened specification limits for alkali, alkaline-earth, and transition metals relative to technical-grade wetting agents.
The concentrate is a clear to slightly opalescent liquid with a density of 1.00–1.05 g/cm3 at 25 °C by ASTM D4052-22 and a viscosity of ≤ 100 mPa·s at 25 °C by ASTM D2196-20. Viscosity is deliberately held below this limit to allow metering with peristaltic or diaphragm pumps under low-shear conditions. The active component is a narrow-range nonionic alcohol ethoxylate; the absence of anionic sulfate or sulfonate groups reduces the risk of abrasive flocculation in silica, ceria, and alumina slurries.
Lot-to-lot variance is controlled by finished-product release testing. The acceptance limits in Table 1 apply to packaged material stored at 5–40 °C in sealed high-density polyethylene containers. Specific lot data are provided on the certificate of analysis.
Table 1. Electronic/EL Grade release specifications.
| Property | Acceptance limit | Test method |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear to slightly opalescent liquid | Visual, 25 °C |
| pH at 1 wt% in deionized water | 6.0–7.5 | ASTM E70-19 |
| Density at 25 °C | 1.00–1.05 g/cm3 | ASTM D4052-22 |
| Viscosity at 25 °C | ≤ 100 mPa·s | ASTM D2196-20 |
| Equilibrium surface tension at 0.1 wt% active, 25 °C | 28–32 mN/m | ASTM D1331-14 |
| Dynamic surface tension at 10 Hz, 25 °C | ≤ 45 mN/m | ASTM D3825-90(2020) |
| Cloud point at 1 wt% active in deionized water | ≥ 45 °C | ASTM D2024-09(2017) |
| Foam height at 0.1 wt% active, 25 °C | ≤ 10 mm initial | ASTM D1173-23 |
| Trace metals Fe, Cu, Cr, Ni, Co each | ≤ 5 ppb | ASTM D5673-16 |
| Total trace metals | ≤ 50 ppb | ASTM D5673-16 |
| Particles ≥ 0.5 µm | ≤ 25 counts/mL | ASTM F660-21 |
| Nonvolatile residue at 110 °C | 10.0–11.0 wt% | ISO 3251:2019 |
Surface tension reduction is not linear across the dosage range. Below the critical micelle concentration, equilibrium surface tension decreases with increasing active concentration; above the CMC, additional surfactant forms micelles and may increase foam without further reducing pad contact angle. The EL Grade is positioned so that the recommended use concentration falls near the surface tension plateau but below the concentration where persistent foam is generated in recirculation loops. Maximum bubble pressure tensiometry under ASTM D3825-90(2020) is used because pad wetting occurs on millisecond contact timescales; the 10 Hz dynamic surface tension limit of ≤ 45 mN/m correlates with reduced transient dewetting on polyvinyl alcohol pad asperities during 300 mm wafer polishing.
In silica-based slurries at 10–20 wt% solids, addition of the EL Grade at 0.05–0.15 wt% active does not raise bulk viscosity above 3 mPa·s at shear rates from 100 s-1 to 1000 s-1 by ISO 3219:1993. Above 0.3 wt% active, micelle formation can increase low-shear viscosity and yield stress, causing pump start-up difficulty in systems with long slurry lines. The product’s own viscosity of ≤ 100 mPa·s allows accurate dilution with standard peristaltic pumps; however, high local concentration by adding concentrate directly to a stirred tank without dilution can create viscosity gradients and should be avoided.
Surface tension gradients on the pad can induce Marangoni flow that either assists slurry transport or creates localized dry spots. The EL Grade’s narrow ethylene oxide distribution minimizes differences between high and low molecular weight fractions, reducing selective adsorption at the air–liquid interface. This is particularly important during edge conditioning in a 300 mm polisher, where centrifugal force drives slurry outward. If a broad-range surfactant is used, lighter homologs adsorb preferentially and leave heavier fractions in the bulk, causing surface tension at the pad edge to rise and slurry to bead. The EL Grade is controlled to a narrow homolog range by liquid chromatography so that surface tension drift due to preferential adsorption is less than 1.0 mN/m after 8 h of recirculation by ASTM D1331-14.
The primary differences are trace metal burden, particle cleanliness, foam persistence, homolog distribution, and silicone defoamer content. A general-purpose nonionic wetting agent may contain total trace metals in the 10–100 ppm range depending on source and processing; the EL Grade is specified at ≤ 50 ppb total trace metals by ASTM D5673-16, with each of the transition metals iron, copper, chromium, nickel, and cobalt held below 5 ppb. The reduction is relevant because mobile sodium and potassium ions can degrade dielectric reliability, and copper or iron species can act as electrochemical centers on barrier films. The EL Grade is also filtered to ≤ 25 counts/mL for particles ≥ 0.5 µm by ASTM F660-21, whereas general-purpose surfactants may require additional filtration before use in slurry manufacturing.
Foam persistence differs substantially. Industrial wetting agents often rely on alkylphenol ethoxylates or broad-range alcohol ethoxylates that generate stable foam columns; under ASTM D1173-23, these materials can exceed 50 mm initial foam height at 0.1 wt% active. The EL Grade is formulated with a low-foam ethoxylate structure and is specified at ≤ 10 mm initial foam height at the same concentration. Silicone defoamers are deliberately excluded because silicone droplets can deposit on hydrophobic low-k films and alter contact angle after CMP, complicating subsequent cap or barrier deposition. General-purpose products may also contain anionic sulfate or sulfonate hydrotropes that complex with slurry particles; the EL Grade avoids these groups to maintain compatibility with ceria and silica abrasives.
Fluorosurfactants reduce surface tension to 15–20 mN/m but can pose wastewater and regulatory concerns under REACH and RoHS restrictions for perfluoroalkyl substances. The EL Grade achieves 28–32 mN/m equilibrium surface tension without fluorinated chemistry, representing a lower surface activity than perfluorinated products but with reduced environmental persistence and easier removal in post-CMP cleaning.
In interlayer dielectric oxide planarization, the wetting agent is injected downstream of the point-of-use filter to reduce foam generation. A PTFE-lined diaphragm pump with 0.1–0.5 mL/min control is used for a slurry flow of 200–400 mL/min, yielding active concentrations of 0.05–0.15 wt%. Wetting time on a polyvinyl alcohol pad is measured by contact angle per ASTM D7490-13; complete spreading below 20° within 5 s is used as a process acceptance threshold. Slurry beading at the pad edge and bevel dry-out are observed failure modes when wetting agent concentration falls below 0.02 wt% or when the product is added upstream of a 0.2 µm filter that entrains air.
In tungsten CMP, the wetting agent is used at 0.03–0.08 wt% active in silica-based slurries containing hydrogen peroxide or iron-based activators. The nonionic ethoxylate structure is selected to resist oxidation without forming chromophoric byproducts that could stain the pad or wafer. A compatibility test for peroxide-containing slurries involves holding a 0.1 wt% active solution in 3 wt% hydrogen peroxide at 25 °C for 24 h; surface tension drift is specified as less than 5% by ASTM D1331-14. This is a narrower drift allowance than for general-purpose technical surfactants, which may degrade and lower pH due to carboxylic acid formation.
The EL Grade has a neat cloud point of ≥ 45 °C at 1 wt% active in deionized water by ASTM D2024-09(2017). Copper barrier slurries that contain hydrogen peroxide, complexing agents, and high ionic strength can depress cloud point by 5–15 °C relative to pure water. A formulation that is clear at 25 °C may therefore phase separate at 40–50 °C when exposed to frictional heating at the wafer–pad interface. The process window is defined by the post-add cloud point of the mixed slurry, not by the neat product cloud point. For copper barrier CMP, slurry temperature should be held at 18–25 °C at the point of use, and the wetting agent should be maintained below 0.10 wt% active unless a post-add cloud point measurement confirms single-phase behavior above the maximum platen temperature. Heat exchangers with control stability of 0.5 °C on the slurry delivery line are typical; systems lacking temperature control have shown batch-to-batch variation in copper removal rate and defectivity when ambient temperature exceeds 28 °C. Published data for this specific formulation in high-volume manufacturing is limited; qualification on a 300 mm polisher with an in-line surface tension monitor and particle counter is required before full production release.
Foam and filtration interaction in recirculating slurry delivery systems is a critical control point. The EL Grade is compatible with hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride and polyethersulfone membranes with pore sizes ≥ 0.1 µm; hydrophobic PTFE membranes should be avoided because surfactant adsorption can reduce effective pore size and increase pressure drop. Continuous point-of-use filtration with a 0.2 µm cartridge after wetting agent addition is used to remove incidental particulate contamination. Filter housings must be vented during startup because trapped air from surfactant-induced foam can cause flow fluctuation and downstream pump cavitation. In recirculation loops with residence times above 72 h, microbial growth can metabolize nonionic surfactants and generate anionic residues; systems should include 254 nm UV irradiation or scheduled sanitization.
Nonionic ethoxylates can adsorb on copper oxide and low-k dielectric surfaces after CMP. If not removed, adsorbed surfactant films can increase contact resistance and reduce adhesion of subsequent cap layers. The EL Grade is formulated without long-chain homologs above C14 to limit adsorption film thickness on copper lines. Electrochemical interaction is assessed by open-circuit potential shift of a copper coupon exposed to 0.1 wt% active solution for 30 min at 25 °C; a shift of less than 20 mV relative to a pH-matched electrolyte is used as the acceptance screening criterion under an adaptation of ASTM G5-14(2021). The product should not be combined with benzotriazole-type cathodic inhibitors at stock concentration because localized precipitation may occur; compatibility is confirmed by turbidity measurement under ISO 7027-1:2016.
Storage conditions are 5–40 °C in sealed high-density polyethylene containers. Freezing below 0 °C may cause phase separation; if frozen, the product should not be thawed by direct steam injection or heated above 40 °C. Dilutions should be prepared with deionized water meeting ASTM D5127-13 Type E-1 or better. The product is not designed for use in applications regulated by FDA 21 CFR for food contact; semiconductor use only. Shelf life is 12 months from the date of manufacture when stored as specified.
For shallow trench isolation CMP with ceria abrasives, addition of the EL Grade at 0.02–0.06 wt% active reduces slurry beading on nitride stop layers without changing the selectivity ratio. The concentrate is added under low-shear mixing at 100–200 rpm in a day tank to avoid abrasive agglomeration. High-shear dispersion is not required for wetting agent incorporation and may entrain air.
