The growing concern and need for gas phase filtration in the semiconductor industry is not only for keeping electronic equipment safe from corrosive and toxic gases, but also 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 semiconductor industry, and must, therefore, be carefully controlled, so that there are no dangerous emissions and no air contamination.
Problems faced in manufacturing process due to air contamination:
- From outside untreated air
- Emission of acid vapors / corrosive and toxic gases during manufacturing processes
Effects of Contaminant Gases in manufacturing area:
- Corrosion of silver contacts due to strong oxidizing properties of S compounds, especially H2S
- Corrosion of Cu / Al by SO42-
- Crystals formed by neutralization with SO4 2- 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 neutralization with dissolved acid on wafer surface, after de-ionized water cleaning
Effects of Boron, Ozone and other volatile organic compounds:
- Current leakages and abnormal circuit voltage resistance
- Defects due to formation of oil film on wafer surface due to 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
Bry-Air EcoScrub Solution for Semiconductor Industry
Bry-Air EcoScrub gas phase filtration system is ideal for human and hardware health. It removes contaminants and eliminates downtime by removing corrosive gases through the process of adsorption and chemisorption. Contaminated air passes through pre-filters which retain dust and particles. The chemical media stages (combination of activated carbon and activated alumina impregnated with proprietary chemicals) then chemically destroy remaining gaseous contaminants. Bry-Air EcoScrub is designed to maintain the ISA Standard 71.04, IEC Standard and Environmental Standards followed by electronics manufacturers.
When Moisture is torture!
In this column, we share with you regularly our experience in major application areas where usage of dehumidification is both extensive and essential.
Humidity can Hamper Accuracy of Test Results in your Laboratory: What may seem to be a small amount of variation in humidity around us in homes and offices, may completely alter sensitive test results in indoor environment of laboratories. Expensive and sensitive instrument used in R&D labs, Pharma and Biotec Labs, Medical testing Labs, Engine testing labs and Educational institutional labs can have errors in computation and analysis of mission critical test results. Many laboratories running experiments and using sensitive measurement devices need humidity control that is more critical than standard human comfort.
Sometimes inaccuracy in test results may lead to defeating the purpose of the experiment. Laboratory managers cannot overlook the recommendations of the manufacturers and suppliers of such equipment in terms of environment control of humidity.
In many laboratories temperature control is achieved through air-conditioning, but the importance of humidity is often overlooked. This causes the atmospheric water vapor to condense on the surface of the equipment during power cuts causing corrosion, micro corrosion and related damages among others.
Desired Environmental Conditions:
The easiest way of achieving desired environmental conditions required in analytical instrument rooms is use of standard room air-conditioners along with dehumidifiers. Used together, these provide temperature and humidity control.
Uncontrolled humidity results in:
- Corrosion and micro-corrosion of mission critical equipment
- Reduced life cycle time of the expensive equipment
- Frequent replacement and increased maintenance costs
- Recurrent breakdowns
- Frequent recalibration
- Inaccurate reading, defeating the purpose of the experiment
General recommendations for laboratory equipment:
- Temperature Dry Bulb – 75°F to 80°F
- Humidity (relative) – 40% to 50%
Bry-Air CSR – Vision | Education | Environment
3Rs
Bry-Air’s CSR team organized a seminar on 3Rs – Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Main focus of the event was to spread awareness to save water, electronic waste, paper by understanding the 3Rs principle. Topics covered were:
- Water conservation through rainwater harvesting
- Managing of electronic waste
- Reuse and recycling paper
- Donate wastepaper for recycling.
Energy Saving Technology and Equipment
Another seminar on Energy Saving Technology and Equipment was organized. Prominent people from various fields participated in this event and covered the following topics:
- Climate change
- Energy audits: schemes and incentives
- Understating the Green Factory Code
- Cooling large areas more economically
- Energy saving through innovative lighting.
16th Eye camp
Bry-Air, in partnership with Venu Eye Institutes & Research Center arranged its 16th volunteer eye camp at its corporate office in Gurgaon. The eye camp was for the workforce of Pahwa Enterprise as well as the people in and around Gurgaon for those suffering from poor eyesight or any other eye ailment. Free spectacles and medicines were distributed. More than 200 people from and around Gurgaon were successfully treated for eye aliments.
