The effects of ultra-smooth surface atomic step morphology on CMP performances of sapphire and SiC wafers
Whether sapphire or SiC wafer, clear and regular atomic step morphology could be observed all over the ultra-smooth wafer surface via atomic force microscopy (AFM) using our CMP technology. However, towards sapphire and SiC wafers, the variations of atomic step widths and step directions on the whole of wafer surface are different. The step widths and step directions on the different positions of sapphire wafer are uniform, while that on SiC wafer are distinct. Thus, the effects of atomic step width on CMP removal rate of sapphire and SiC wafers were studied. On the other side, the CMP removal model of super-hard hexagonal crystalline wafer to realize atomically ultra-smooth surface is proposed. The variations of atomic step morphology towards different defects on sapphire and SiC wafers surface are analyzed, and the formation mechanism of the defects is discussed.
Ultraprecision CMP for sapphire, GaN, and SiC for advanced optoelectronics materials
Abstract Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of sapphire, GaN, and SiC substrates, which are categorized as hard-to-process materials, is demonstrated with a colloidal silica slurry under acidic and alkaline slurry pH conditions. Atomic level surface flatness was achieved by CMP and was confirmed to be equivalent to an almost ideally minimized surface roughness. By comparing the Preston coefficients under different slurry conditions, differences in the CMP properties among the three substrate materials and difficulties in the CMP of the GaN and SiC substrates are presented. The difference in CMP properties between the (0001) and (000-1) planes of GaN and SiC due to their non-revers crystallographical symmetry is also presented. Oxidation processes that occur during CMP of GaN and SiC are also discussed. By comparing the removal rate among GaN, SiC, and their oxides, it was found that the rate-limiting step in the total CMP process for GaN and SiC was surface oxidation reaction of GaN and SiC.
Full-scale measurements of SO2 gas phase concentrations and slurry compositions in a wet flue gas desulphurisation spray absorber
Abstract Two measurement campaigns were carried out at ENERGI E2's Asnaes Power plant, unit 5. The unit has a capacity of 620 MW e and is equipped with a wet flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) plant employing a counter-current spray absorber with five spray levels. In the first campaign, the power plant was firing Orimulsion ® with 2.85 wt% S resulting in a flue gas concentration of SO 2 exceeding 2000 ppmv. In the second campaign, the fuel applied was a low-S blended coal and the SO 2 concentration in the raw gas was around 400 ppmv. A novel probe for in situ sampling of gas phase concentrations in wet FGD spray absorbers was developed and applied for measuring axial profiles of the SO 2 gas phase concentrations in the absorber. The expected decrease in SO 2 concentrations along the height of the absorber was found in the spray section (from height 26.5 to 36.2 m) whereas the SO 2 concentration above the holding tank and below the gas inlet was quite low probably due to long local residence times in the region. Horizontal variations, due to somewhat different flow conditions near the column wall were investigated and the SO 2 concentrations were found to be higher near the wall. Measurements at different gross loads showed that the SO 2 gas phase concentration at a given position inside the absorber was roughly linearly related to the L/G ratio in the measuring interval. Turning off one of the lower spray levels, while burning coal with low S content, did not lower the overall removal efficiency of the absorber. However, the SO 2 gas phase concentration inside the lower part of the absorber was increased by a factor of 2–3. Measurements of slurry pH at different positions showed a decrease of approximately 0.5 units from the upper to the lower part of the absorber. The full-scale measurements provide a detailed set of experimental data for validation of mathematical models of a wet FGD spray absorber.