Chemical analysis of electronic gases and volatile reagents for device-processing.

The reliable trace characterization of electronic gases and volatile chemicals for device processing presents new challenges in trace analysis. Recent advances and existing frontiers in analyzing these chemicals are outlined. For the vast majority of them impurity specifications are still undefined. A viable approach to determining practical specifications is provided. Reagents most widely used as carriers, transport agents, and dopants for fabricating thin film device structures, and for atmospheric control during electronic device processing have been catalogued into five groups. Current state-of-the-art analysis techniques applicable to their characterization are discussed briefly and the most critical areas for future methods developments are noted.