Which Tergeo fits your lab?Plasma cleaning for e-beam and EUV vacuum systems
In-situ SEMI-KLEEN plasma sources keep CD-SEM, e-beam inspection and review, EUV and e-beam lithography tools free of hydrocarbon contamination — integrated by semiconductor equipment makers and run from the tool's own controller.
- Hydrocarbons 20–60× lower (RGA)
- No venting
- Recipe-driven, OEM-ready
Hydrocarbons are the enemy of electron-beam metrology and inspection
Every electron beam cracks residual hydrocarbons into a carbon film — on the wafer, on the column optics and on apertures. In a metrology or inspection tool that shows up as scan marks, drift, charging and lost throughput. Downstream oxygen or hydrogen radicals remove the hydrocarbons at the source.
Lower hydrocarbon contamination
RGA scans of the same chamber show the hydrocarbon fragment peaks falling 20–60× and water 500× after plasma cleaning and bake-out. Cleaning is uniform across large chambers, not just near the source.
No carbon build-up — no scan marks, no drift
Less carbon deposit on samples, column optics, lenses and apertures, so repeated scans of the same site stay clean and measurements stay stable.
Fewer adders, better PWP
The plasma neutralises charged dust particles so they are pumped away instead of landing on the wafer — fewer particle adders and better particles-per-wafer-pass results.
In-situ, low particle, OEM-ready
No venting and no chamber opening. Recipes are started from the tool controller over RS-232/RS-485, and the source mounts on a standard CF or KF port.
Residual gas before and after plasma cleaning
No carbon scan mark after plasma cleaning
Imaging the same sample area repeatedly in a contaminated chamber leaves a dark rectangle: carbon cracked from hydrocarbons by the beam. After in-situ plasma cleaning, repeated scans leave no visible mark — the same benefit metrology tools need for repeatable CD and overlay measurements.
Tin-on-carbon resolution sample, SEM images at the same magnification.
Tools that use in-situ plasma cleaning
CD-SEM metrology
Stable critical-dimension measurements without contamination-driven line growth or scan marks on measured sites.
E-beam inspection & review
Cleaner chambers and wafers for defect inspection and defect review tools — fewer adders and less charging.
EUV & e-beam lithography
Carbon-free optics and chambers for EUV and e-beam writers. EUV contamination control.
X-ray & ion-beam tools
O₂, H₂, Ar, He and N₂ chemistries for X-ray metrology, ion-beam and other high-vacuum systems.
Analytical SEM, FIB & TEM
The same technology in EM-KLEEN cleans chambers, stages and holders in lab instruments. SEM & FIB cleaning.
UHV & surface-analysis systems
Faster pump-down and lower hydrocarbon background in UHV chambers. UHV chamber cleaning.
Built into your tool, run from your controller
PIE Scientific supplies SEMI-KLEEN plasma sources as OEM components to leading semiconductor equipment manufacturers. We work under NDA and never disclose our OEM customers.
- SEMI-KLEEN Quartz (75–150 W) for O₂, H₂, air, Ar, He and N₂; SEMI-KLEEN Sapphire for fluorine- and hydrogen-rich chemistries
- 3U half-width rack-mount controller for OEM integration, or a touchscreen benchtop controller
- Remote recipe control over RS-232 / RS-485 from the host tool controller
- Mounts on a spare CF or KF port of the main chamber or load-lock
- Custom flanges, cable lengths and interlocks for your platform
EM-KLEEN for SEM, FIB and TEM
EM-KLEEN fits a spare port of SEMs, FIBs and TEMs from Thermo Fisher, ZEISS, JEOL, Hitachi and TESCAN, and cleans the chamber, stage and holder in minutes without venting.
In-situ plasma cleaning for semiconductor tools
How does in-situ plasma cleaning remove hydrocarbons from an e-beam tool?
A remote (downstream) plasma source produces oxygen or hydrogen radicals that flow into the chamber and react with adsorbed hydrocarbons to form volatile CO, CO₂ and H₂O that the pumps remove. Ions stay in the source, so surfaces are cleaned without sputtering.
Do we have to vent the tool?
No. SEMI-KLEEN runs at high-vacuum process pressures with the turbo pumps running, so cleaning can be scheduled between lots or during idle time without breaking vacuum.
Which gases can be used?
O₂, H₂, Ar, He, N₂, air and mixtures with SEMI-KLEEN Quartz. Fluorine- and hydrogen-rich chemistries use the SEMI-KLEEN Sapphire version. For oxidation-sensitive optics, hydrogen or low-power oxygen recipes are used.
Can the tool controller run the plasma source?
Yes. Recipes can be started, stopped and monitored over RS-232/RS-485, and the 3U half-width rack-mount controller is designed for integration into the tool frame.
Can you name the equipment makers that use SEMI-KLEEN?
No — our OEM agreements are confidential. We are happy to discuss references and qualification data under NDA.
Not sure which plasma cleaner fits your process?
Tell us your samples, size and process gas. Our engineers reply within one to two business days with a recommendation and a quote.