Investigation of detergent compositions on the effectiveness of alumina and aluminium titanium carbide cleaning

Abstract

Particle contamination on a surface is a critical issue for the electronics manufacturing processes. Detergents that are composed of surfactants and appropriate additives can decrease the natural attraction forces between particles and surface, leading to effective particle removal. This work aims to investigate the influences of detergent pH and additives on the effectiveness in removing inorganic particles from Al2O3 and AlTiC substrates, which are commonly used materials in the electronics industry. In this study, we chose a model detergent comprised of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, and two additives, namely sodium acid pyrophosphate and ethanolamine. Talc particles were employed as a model inorganic contaminant. The effects of pH and ethanolamine concentration on the cleaning effectiveness of the model detergent were examined using optical microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The stability of talc suspension in detergent solution, which is related to the possibility of particle recontamination, was determined by zeta potential. Our results indicate that the pH of the detergent directly affects its cleaning efficiency, likely by increasing the electrostatic repulsion between the surface and the talc particles. Similarly, the increasing ethanolamine concentration elevates the pH of the detergent, leading to better cleaning performances on both Al2O3 and AlTiC substrates.