High Purity Nitrogen Trifluoride Gas (NF3) Fluorocarbon Gases

Nitrogen trifluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula (NF3). It is a colorless, non-flammable, toxic gas with a slightly musty odor. In contrast with ammonia, it is nonbasic. It finds increasing use within the manufacturing of flat-panel displays, photovoltaics, LEDs and other microelectronics.NF3 is a greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential (GWP) 17,200 times greater than that of CO2 when compared over a 100-year period.Nitrogen trifluoride is primarily used to remove silicon and silicon-compounds during the manufacturing of semiconductor devices such as LCD displays, some thin-film solar cells, and other microelectronics. In these applications NF3 is initially broken down within a plasma. The resulting fluorine radicals are the active agents that attack polysilicon, silicon nitride and silicon oxide. They can be used as well to remove tungsten silicide, tungsten, and certain other metals. In addition to serving as an etchant in device fabrication, NF3 is also widely used to clean PECVD chambers.

NF3 dissociates more readily within a low-pressure discharge in comparison to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The greater abundance of negatively-charged free radicals thus generated can yield higher silicon removal rates, and provide other process benefits such as less residual contamination and a lower net charge stress on the device being fabricated. As a somewhat more thoroughly consumed etching and cleaning agent, NF3 has also been promoted as an environmentally preferable substitute for SF6 or PFCs such as hexafluoroethane.Nitrogen trifluoride is also used in hydrogen fluoride and deuterium fluoride lasers, which are types of chemical lasers. There it is also preferred to fluorine gas due to its more convenient handling properties