Chip manufacturing relies on a diverse range of specialty gases that play critical roles in processes such as deposition, etching, doping, and cleaning. Fullcryo provides high-purity gas solutions to global semiconductor manufacturers.
Semiconductor manufacturing is an “atomic level project”: from wafer preparation to packaging and testing, the surface of the wafer undergoes repeated pattern transfers and material additions and subtractions in hundreds of processes. In photolithography, for example, exposure to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light at a wavelength of only 13.5 nm can cause light scattering from oxygen or water vapor molecules in the air, leading to pattern distortion. As a result, each step of the process relies on high-purity gases to create a clean environment – for example, 99.9999% pure nitrogen (N₂) continuously purges the chamber, controlling the concentration of impurities to the parts-per-trillion (ppt) level to avoid defects.
Nitrogen (N₂): Most Widely Used
As the “gaseous blood” of semiconductor fabs, ultrapure nitrogen assumes the three major roles of purging, carrier gas and protection. In chemical vapor deposition (CVD), it isolates oxygen to prevent film oxidation; in ion implantation, it carries the dopant gas to evenly cover the wafer surface. A 14nm process plant data show that its daily nitrogen consumption can reach tens of thousands of cubic meters, the purity needs to be stabilized at 6N or more.
Argon (Ar): Accelerator for Plasma Processes
The heavy-atom nature of argon makes it an outstanding film forming efficiency in physical sputtering. When Ar ions are accelerated in an electric field and bombarded onto a target (e.g., a copper target), atomic-level material deposition can be achieved with an accuracy of ±0.5 nm. Additionally, Ar maintains plasma stability in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) to ensure that the uniformity of the thickness of the silicon oxide film is less than 1 percent.
Helium (He): Precision Temperature Control
With its extremely small molecular size and high thermal conductivity, He is an ideal heat transfer medium for rapid thermal annealing (RTA) processes. In 3nm FinFET manufacturing, He achieves a temperature control accuracy of ±1°C by uniformly blowing on the backside of the wafer, avoiding lattice defects in the transistor channel material due to overheating.
Fluorine Gases: Etching Processes
Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF₃): In gate etching of logic chips, NF₃ plasma can etch silicon dioxide at a rate of up to 500 nm/min, and the selectivity ratio of NF₃ to the underlying silicon exceeds 5:1. Compared with traditional perfluorocarbons (PFCs), NF₃ reduces the global-warming-potential (GWP) of NF₃ by 80%, and has become the first choice for green etching.
Carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄) and hexafluoroethane (C₂F₆): In 3D NAND flash memory manufacturing, a mixture of the two gases is passed through an “etch-passivate” cycle to achieve a high depth-to-width ratio of 1:500 for high depth channel etching, which is equivalent to etching a 1-meter-deep trench. Maintains wall perpendicularity to less than 2 centimeters.
Chlorine Gas: Precision Metal Etching
The combination of chlorine gas (Cl₂) and boron trichloride (BCl₃) has an etch selectivity of more than 100:1 for aluminum interconnect layers. In the fabrication of power semiconductor IGBTs, the system allows precise etching of micrometer-sized metal electrode patterns, avoiding the risk of short circuits.
CVD and ALD Precursors
Silane (SiH₄): Despite its spontaneous combustibility, it decomposes at low temperatures (below 300°C) to produce silicon monomers, which are the core raw material for depositing amorphous silicon films. In OLED screen driver chips, the hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer prepared with SiH₄ can increase transistor switching speed by 30%.
Tungsten hexafluoride (WF₆): A CVD reaction produces tungsten (W), which is used to fill through-holes between multilayer circuits. In a 5nm chip, WF₆ deposits a tungsten interconnect layer with a resistance of only 0.01 Ω・cm, which is equivalent to a five-fold increase in the conductivity of a hairline diameter wire.
Metal-organic precursors (e.g., TMA, TEMAH): In atomic layer deposition (ALD), TMA reacts with water to form alumina (Al₂O₃), with the thickness of a single layer controlled to be 0.1 nm (~0.3 atomic layers), which becomes a key material for high-k gate dielectrics.
Dopant gases
Boron trifluoride (BF₃) and phosphine (PH₃): are used as p-type and n-type doping sources, respectively, to form PN junctions in ion implantation. In a 28nm CMOS process, BF₃ injection dose control accuracy of ±1% is required to ensure transistor threshold voltage deviation of less than 5mV.
AsH₃: In millimeter-wave radar chips, AsH₃-doped gallium arsenide (GaAs) layers, which have an electron mobility 5 times higher than that of silicon materials, support high-frequency signal processing in 5G base station antennas.
The allowable concentration of metallic impurities (e.g., Fe, Cu) in sub-3nm processes has been reduced to less than 10¹⁰ atoms/cm², which corresponds to an area the size of a soccer field, where only 10 Fullcryo has developed a multi-stage adsorption purification technology that reduces oxygen impurities in nitrogen to less than 1ppb, meeting the stringent gas source requirements for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
With the popularity of high – k / metal gate, three-dimensional stacked structures, traditional fluorine-based gases are facing the problem of insufficient selectivity. The industry is exploring mixed gas systems containing nitrogen and hydrogen – for example, optimization of the ratio of NF₃ to ammonia (NH₃) could enable etch selectivity for tantalum (Ta) barrier layers to be increased to 20:1, clearing the way for the fabrication of 3nm GAAFET transistors.
On-site Preparation of Fluorine Gas (F₂): F₂ transported by traditional cylinders has the risk of leakage, while F₂ generated by on-site electrolysis of molten fluoride can reach a purity of 99.999%, and the stability of the supply is improved by 40%.
NF₃ Recycling System: Through catalytic decomposition technology, the recycling rate of NF₃ can be up to 95%, and the decomposition products (N₂, F₂) can be reused in the production, which reduces carbon emission by over 60%.
As a global leader in cryogenic and specialty gas solutions, Fullcryo offers a robust and scalable supply network for specialty gases and advanced electronic gases, tailored to the demanding needs of semiconductor, photovoltaic, and advanced materials industries.
With self-built purification facilities, Fullcryo achieves annual production capacities of 10,000 Sm³ of krypton, 2,400 Sm³ of xenon, and 150,000 Sm³ of neon, reaching 99.9995% purity and over 90% extraction efficiency through an integrated chemical removal and distillation process.
Strategic joint ventures, including a Kr/Xe plant in South Korea and upcoming projects in Taiwan, Japan, Europe, and North America, reflect Fullcryo’s global expansion in rare gas supply. In helium, the company leverages proprietary LNG-BOG recovery technologies with domestic sources across Northwest China and international partnerships in Russia, Poland, Algeria, and Qatar.
Fullcryo also supplies up to 200 tons/month of silane gas to photovoltaic leaders, and maintains stable delivery of deuterium gases in both pure and blended forms. These capabilities, supported by strong engineering integration and safety standards, position Fullcryo as a trusted partner for mission-critical gas applications worldwide.
