Polymers for Electronics: a new process under development
Photoresist polymers
Our production site in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada is recognized for its expertise in photoresist polymers, dedicated to the electronics market. For several decades, our teams have been manufacturing these polymers that allow the photolithography of semiconductors. The manufacturing of these specialty ingredients requires, among other things, the respect of two essential criteria:
- The very low metal content, generally below 1 ppb
- Reproducibility of molar masses and residual monomer content
These specifications are currently well managed within our site in batch mode, but in a logic of continuous improvement, optimizations have been searched for on different aspects: first of all on the EHS aspect but also on the economic and production criteria. In order to provide an industrial solution combining all these aspects, our teams have worked on the implementation of a continuous liquid-liquid extraction process.
To ensure the effectiveness of this technology, a partnership was quickly established between SEQENS and a recognized center of expertise in chemical engineering. The R&D phase was recently completed and looks promising: the laboratory scale makes it possible to reach the target that has been defined while drastically reducing solvent volumes and significantly improving productivity. The industrial perspectives are therefore very attractive. Before deploying this new process more widely, the level of excellence demonstrated in R&D must be confirmed by a pilot phase between now and early 2022!
Driven by a spirit of innovation, our teams are committed to a process of optimization in order to always offer our customers electronic polymers of the best possible quality, to meet the challenges of the semiconductor industry.