CF4

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:

CF4 is known as perfluoromethane, is a colorless, nonflammable, and nontoxic gas. It is chemically inert and has a moderately high global warming potential (GWP = 6,630; Greenhouse gas protocol, Fifth Assessment Report AR5).
Tetrafluoromethane is very stable and has a long atmospheric lifetime of 50,000 years. Although structurally similar to chlorofluorocarbons, tetrafluoromethane does not deplete the ozone layer. This is because the depletion is caused by the chlorine atoms in CFCs, which dissociate when struck by UV radiation. Carbon-fluorine bonds are stronger and less likely to dissociate. It is used as an important component in some ultra-low temperature refrigeration systems and also as a reactive ion etching gas in semiconductor materials processing applications.
In semiconductor applications, for example, in reactive ion etching, tetrafluoromethane is the largest volume fluorocarbon gas employed. In other applications, tetrafluoromethane can be used as a plasma chamber cleaning gas, an expansion agent for polyolefins and polyurethanes, as a propellant for aerosols, as a fire extinguishing agent, and as a gaseous dielectric insulating medium.

Specifications and Parameters

Application Scenarios

• Combined with oxygen to etch polysilicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitrite, some metals and metal silicides
• Can be combined with halocarbon 116 or used alone to clean wafers and chambers
• Wafer etch processes
• Low-temperature refrigerant (R-14)
• Expansion agent for polyolefins and polyurethanes
• Electronics microfabrication
• Propellant for aerosols
• Fire extinguishing agent
• Gaseous dielectric insulating medium