Molecular design for inhibition of titanium corrosion in resist cleaner systems

Abstract A range of substituted catechols and pyrogallols are examined as corrosion inhibitors for titanium during processing with resist cleaners in the microelectronic industry. The corrosion inhibition is consistent with an adsorption mechanism and the best predictor for inhibition performance is found to be the hydrophobicity of the molecule. The trihydroxybenzenes adsorb more strongly on the titanium surface than the corresponding dihydroxybenzene compounds. It is also shown that trace quantities of calcium act as an extremely effective inhibitor. Consequently, calcium levels in the organic material must be reduced to less than ≈2 ppm before measurement of the inhibition efficiency.