Corrosion Control in Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry from Harmful and Odorous Gases
The growing concern and need for air and gas purification in the semiconductor industry is not only for keeping electronic equipment safe from corrosive and toxic gases but also from the need for manufacturers to ensure the safety of working personnel and the community surrounding the facility. Contaminants such as silane, arsine, phosphine, diborane, hydrogen chloride, nitric acid, sulphuric acid, lead, sulphonic acid, ammonia, propanol, and in some cases, cyanide compounds, are chemically active and are present in high concentrations in production areas in the semiconductor industry, and must, therefore, be carefully controlled, so, that there are no dangerous emissions and air contamination.
Problems Faced in Manufacturing Process Due to Air Contamination
Manufacturing processes can be highly affected by the outside untreated air and /or emission of acid vapours/corrosive and toxic gases during manufacturing processes. These untreated contaminants can cause different effects in the manufacturing area.
Effects of Contaminant Gases
- Corrosion of silver contacts by strong oxidising properties of S compounds, especially H₂S
- Corrosion of Cu/Al by SO42-
- Crystals formed by neutralisation with SO42- and NO3– with NH4+
Effects of Ammonia
- Defects in the chemical amplified resist process
- Defects in exposure/pattern generation processes (T-topping)
- Lower illuminance resulting from lens contamination
- Crystal formation by neutralisation with dissolved acid on the wafer surface, after deionised water cleaning
Effects of Boron, Ozone and Other Volatile Organic Compounds
- Current leakages and abnormal circuit voltage resistance
- Defects due to the formation of oil film on wafer surface due to the presence of high molecular weight organics
- Low molecular weight siloxane chemically reacts with ozone to form silica particles
- Defects in electric properties in the LSI and diffusion properties
- Defects in LCD — low-temperature poly-silicone
Gas Phase Filtration Inside the Facility
Three types of solutions are available for corrosion control and elimination of air contaminants, depending on the size of the room and the location of the gas emission areas inside the manufacturing rooms. They are as follows:
- Provide in-room, stand-alone, powered re-circulation scrubbers at vantage points inside the room.
- In case, air-conditioning inside the room is carried out by chilled water AHU, then the return air circuit can be provided with an un-powered dry air scrubber (after accounting for extra pressure drops).
Air suction hoods are to be placed at contaminant emission areas, which in turn connect via air ducts to a powered air scrubber, placed either inside or outside the protected room (in re-circulation mode).
Gas Phase Filtration System – The Most Effective Way of Corrosion Control in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Bry-Air Gas Phase Filtration Systems protect electronic equipment and devices from the threat of abrupt failures due to corrosive gases. It reduces downtime by removing corrosive gases through the process of adsorption and chemisorption. It is designed to maintain the ANSI/ISA-71.04-2013 standard, IEC standards and various other environmental standards followed by electronics manufacturers.
These GPF systems also neutralise odourous gases and make the environment comfortable for humans.
Bry-Air: A Step Ahead, Always
Bry-Air is the only Gas Phase Filtration Company in India having its own R&D and Testing Lab for granular media and chemical filters. Backed by world-class technology and systems, the laboratory is capable of testing the performance of impregnated/non-impregnated loose granular media and impregnated/non-impregnated air cleaning devices such as chemical filters, under one roof. The tests are conducted as per ISO/ASHRAE Standard 145.1 and BSR/ASHRAE Standard 145.2/ISO Standard 11155-2 guidelines. The core objectives of the tests are to assess the performance and efficiency of loose granular sorptive media and chemical filters in any particular application.
For any media replacement query, write to us: gpfmedia@pahwa.com
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