Reduction of Stiction Using Different Surface Treatment Methods on Elastomers and Their Longevity Studies

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Seal-Glide® surface treatments in reducing stiction of fluoroelastomer (FKM) and perfluoroelastomer (FFKM) O-rings to metal and quartz counter surfaces, which are commonplace in semiconductor industry applications. In these industries, removal of a stuck seal and its residues is associated with a significant downtime and labor cost. Therefore, minimizing the stiction have utmost importance to wafer output yield. Single-cycle tests simulated static operating conditions, whilst multi-cycle tests represented dynamic applications. Untreated O-rings exhibited significant stiction to aluminum and stainless steel in static conditions, potentially leading to seal adhesion and residue concerns. All tested surface treatments significantly reduced stiction to these metals. FFKMs generally showed an inherently lower stiction to quartz, and surface treatment offered a smaller but still significant further reduction in stiction. Multi-cycle tests measured far lower stiction forces compared to static tests, highlighting the dependence of O-ring stiction on compression time. FFKM4, exhibiting inherently higher stiction, benefitted most from surface treatments, which maintained their effectiveness even after 1000 cycles. SEM analysis suggested different mechanisms for stiction reduction depending on the surface topography and chemistry modification offered by each treatment method. This study demonstrates the potential of surface treatments to eliminate stiction concerns for a variety of fluoroelastomer and perfluoroelastomer O-rings in both static and dynamic semiconductor applications.