Pilot plant test confirms: BvL cleaning system fulfills high purity requirements of the semiconductor industry

Die BvL Atlantic Tauchreinigungsanlage erfüllt höchste Anforderungen auf Grade 1 und Grade 2 Niveau und findet Anwendungen in der Halbleiterzulieferindustrie, Optikindustrie und Präzionstechnik. / The BvL Atlantic immersion cleaning system meets the highest requirements at Grade 1 and Grade 2 level and is used in the semiconductor supply industry, optics industry and precision engineering.

The cleaning performance of the Atlantic immersion cleaning system was tested in the BvL Oberflächentechnik GmbH technical center with regard to the requirements of the semiconductor supply industry. The aim was to achieve particulate and molecular cleaning at least at the Grade 2 level typical for ultra-high vacuum applications.

The test involved cleaning components with complex geometries made of titanium and aluminum, including capillaries and undercuts. The Atlantic system mastered this challenge with stable process results and is therefore a combination of efficiency, process reliability and flexibility - precisely tailored to the needs of clean service providers (CSP).

The cleaning system in the technical center has nine process stations, including seven cleaning and two drying basins. The equipment used includes ultrasonic modules with 40 kHz and 75 kHz, HEPA H13-filtered hot air and vacuum drying, ultra-fine filtration, continuous pH and conductivity monitoring and freely programmable cleaning sequences. The cleaning process itself takes place in cleaning baths prepared with demineralized water - both alkaline and acidic. The subsequent rinsing processes are crucial for high purity applications. They are carried out with city water and ultra-pure water (UPW). The UPW used is provided by an EnviroFALK ultrapure water treatment system. This is equipped with components such as particle filtration, softening, reverse osmosis, UV sterilization, ion exchange, nano-ultrafiltration and TOC measurement. With a treatment capacity of 300 l/h, excellent water values are achieved:

Conductance: 0.06 µS/cm
TOC value: 13.58 ppb

Validated results in the high purity range

Initial visual inspections are carried out in the company's own dark room before and after cleaning. The components are examined for particles and stains using UV and bright light. The results are then confirmed in the laboratory using PCM and document the high performance of the Atlantic system:

Particle purity (PMC) - Target: Grade 1
≥ 0.5 μm: 650,000 particles/m² (limit value: 2,000,000)
≥ 5.0 μm: 17,000 particles/m² (limit value: 20,000)
≥ 10.0 μm: 0 particles/m² (limit value: 1. 000)

Outgassing rates for residual gas analysis (RGA) - target: Grade 2
H₂O: 2.71E-4 mbar-l/s
CₓHᵧ v: 2.53E-7 mbar-l/s
CₓHᵧ nv: 2.80E-8 mbar-l/s

The desired atomic percentage loads on HIO elements and elemental surface contamination can also be achieved in the cleaning process.

The results show that reproducible cleaning for sensitive high-purity applications can be achieved with the Atlantic system - a key aspect in areas such as semiconductor and vacuum technology.

New cleaning process at BvL

For particularly demanding component geometries, BvL now offers a new process for industrial ultra-fine cleaning: vacuum impulse technology (VIT). The innovative pressure change process specifically improves the media exchange and dirt removal effect in structures that are difficult to access. VIT is also used in selected high-purity applications - especially where conventional processes reach their limits. This process is used in basket cleaning systems.

At the parts2clean trade fair from October 7 to 9, 2025 in Stuttgart (Germany), BvL will present its cleaning systems and advise on individual solutions for high purity applications, among other things: Hall 10, Stand F10.