ANALYSIS OF RADIOACTIVE IMPURITIES IN ALUMINA AND SILICA USED FOR ELECTRONIC MATERIALS

A developed neutron activation analysis(NAA) and gamma-spectrometry were applied to improve the analytical sensitivity and precision of impurities in electronic-circuit raw materials. It is well known that soft errors in high precision electronic circuits can be induced by alpha particles emitted from naturally occurring radioactive impurities such as U and Th. As electronic circuits have recently become smaller in dimension and higher in density, these alpha-particle emitting radioactive impurities must be strictly controlled. Therefore, new NAA methods have been established using a HTS(Hydraulic Transfer System) irradiation facility and a background reduction method. For eliminating or stabilizing fluctuated background caused by Rn-222 and its progeny nuclides in air, a nitrogen purging system is used. Using the developed NAA and gamma-spectrometry, ultra trace amounts of U(0.1ng/g) and Th(0.01ng/g) in an alumina ball and high purity silica used for an epoxy molding compound (EMC) could be determined.