Dec, 31, 2024

Vol.57 No.6

Editorial Office

Review

  • The Korean Society of Surface Science and Engineering
  • Volume 57(6); 2024
  • Article

Review

The Korean Society of Surface Science and Engineering 2024;57(6):456-462. Published online: Dec, 31, 2024

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The effects of electrolyte composition on the electropolishing and passivation of STS316L stainless steel for semiconductor applications

  • Hyunseok Yang, Woo-Chul Jung, Man-Sik Kong*
    Advanced Materials & Processing Center, Institute for Advanced Engineering, Yongin 175-28, Korea
Abstract

Stainless steel used in the semiconductor industry requires high surface quality and corrosion resistance, making ultra-cleaning processes essential. This study investigated the effects of various electrolyte compositions with different ratios of phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid on the electropolishing performance and Cr/Fe ratio of stainless steel. As the phosphoric acid content increased, the optimal voltage range for maintaining stable current density narrowed, but surface roughness improved due to its oxidation-promoting effect. In contrast, higher sulfuric acid content resulted in limited improvements in surface quality and the Cr/Fe ratio. These findings present a method for optimizing electrolyte composition and passivation time to effectively enhance the surface quality and corrosion resistance of stainless steel required in the semiconductor industry.

Keywords Electropolishing; Phosphoric acid; Stainless steel; Surface roughness; Cr/Fe ratio