Fluorine‐Induced corrosion of aluminium microchip bond pads: An XPS and AES analysis

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were used to study the influence of fluorine contamination on aluminium microchip bond pads. Sputter depth profiles indicated that the oxide layer thickness on those band pads, which showed poor gold wire adhesion, was higher than the thickness of the native oxide layer of aluminium. This corrosion was induced by segregation of fluorine into the bulk during storage of the wafers in closed polypropylene boxes. The contamination was found to be of the Al(OF) x type, which was initially formed in the CF 4 /O 2 plasma‐etching process. On test samples of aluminium metallization that have been stored with the process wafers, the fluorine contamination was located on the surface only. No segregation and no further oxidation occurred. In this case the fluorine contamination is of the AlF x type.