Interaction, transformation and toxicity assessment of particles and additives used in the semiconducting industry

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 192; pp. 178 - 185
• Main Authors: Dumitrescu, Eduard, Karunaratne, Dinusha P., Babu, S.V., Wallace, Kenneth N., Andreescu, Silvana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2018
• Subjects: Animals; Cerium - chemistry; Cerium - toxicity; Chemical additive; Chemical mechanical planarization; Embryo, Nonmammalian - drug effects; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Hydrogen Peroxide - chemistry; Hydrogen Peroxide - toxicity; Industrial Waste - adverse effects; Interaction; Metal oxide particle; Semiconductors; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Silicon Dioxide - toxicity; Toxicity; Zebrafish - embryology; Zebrafish embryo; Chemical mechanical planarization; Toxicity; Chemical additive; Interaction; Metal oxide particle; Zebrafish embryo
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.10.138

Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) is a widely used technique for the manufacturing of integrated circuit chips in the semiconductor industry. The process generates large amounts of waste containing engineered particles, chemical additives, and chemo-mechanically removed compounds. The environmental and health effects associated with the release of CMP materials are largely unknown and have recently become of significant concern. Using a zebrafish embryo assay, we established toxicity profiles of individual CMP particle abrasives (SiO2 and CeO2), chemical additives (hydrogen peroxide, proline, glycine, nicotinic acid, and benzotriazole), as well as three model representative slurries and their resulting waste. These materials were characterized before and after use in a typical CMP process in order to assess changes that may affect their toxicological profile and alter their surface chemistry due to polishing. Toxicity outcome in zebrafish is discussed in relation with the physicochemical characteristics of the abrasive particles and with the type and concentration profile of the slurry components pre and post-polishing, as well as the interactions between particle abrasives and additives. This work provides toxicological information of realistic CMP slurries and their polishing waste, and can be used as a guideline to predict the impact of these materials in the environment.
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•Toxicity profiles of industrially-relevant CMP slurries and waste are discussed.•Lethal effects are related to chemical additives and removed materials.•Metal oxide CMP particle abrasives do not exhibit lethal effects.•Interaction between particles and additives induces differential toxicity.