An investigation of perfluoroalkylamine contamination control

Perfluoroalkylamine (PFAA) contamination has been observed to be a growing contamination issue in semiconductor fabs due to the increased tolerances demanded by next generation lithography processes. These contaminants are found within the cleanroom, process environments and within various tools and enclosures. As a result, effective control of PFAAs in lithographic processing and other critical environments are becoming an important filtration problem. This work was undertaken to evaluate filter performance for the removal of PFAAs and to provide an optimal filtration solution. The filter breakthrough performance of perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), a common heat transfer fluid, is investigated over a range of environmental conditions for several commercially available adsorbent materials. The results from these accelerated tests indicate that PFAAs can be effectively removed with activated carbon-based chemical filters.