Lisa Coleman
DANBURY, CT—Officials at ATMI Inc. estimate savings of more than $100,000 per tool for semiconductor fabrication facilities after they adapt an exhaust reduction technology for chip processing equipment.
ATMI and engineering partner Technology Performance Group (Reno, NV) are adapting a fume hood innovation into a technology that uses 50 percent of the exhaust air conventional wet cleaning stations require. The original fume hood technology was developed by a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL; Berkeley, CA) team, led by Dale Sartor and Geoffrey Bell of LBNL's Environmental Energy Technologies Division.
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ATMI is developing a version of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s fume containment technology for semiconductor manufacturing. The technology will help semiconductor fabs reduce costs and increase worker safety.
According to Sartor, ATMI engineers recognized the fume hood technology as having potential applications in the semiconductor process industry. Karl Olander, ATMI executive vice president says the new technology may be used for chemical processing and coating operations. “We see this technology as an opportunity for us to make a difference in the industry,” he says. Not only will the fume hood technology adaptation be energy efficient and save money, it will also increase safety among semiconductor fabrication workers by keeping chemicals below the deck of the wet bench, Olander explains.
“The program goals include reducing the exhaust requirement by 40 to 50 percent, reducing the potential for chemical exposure to operators and reducing chemical contamination on wafers,” says Bruce Walker, Technology Performance Group president. “We are adapting the technology for wet cleaning tools because traditionally the tools have high exhaust requirements, often approaching 2,000 cfm per tool.” Most wet processing operations are candidates for this technology, he notes.
Olander estimates that reducing the exhaust requirement will provide the $100,000 savings in installation and facilities capital spending per tool for semiconductor facilities. An annual operating cost savings estimated at $10,000 per tool is also expected, notes Olander.
The LBNL fume hood design efficiently contains fumes and moves the air in a “push-pull” system. The air wall establishes a divider preventing contaminants from reaching the user. Small supply fans, located at the top and bottom of the hood's face, push air into the hood and permit reduction of the ventilation rate.
The adaptation of the LBNL technology effectively decouples the process tanks from the fabrication environment and keeps the chemical vapors below the wet bench deck. Trials to date have confirmed a 35 percent reduction in exhaust and a reduction in turbulence in and over the chemical tanks. ATMI and Technology Performance Group will continue to optimize the technology during beta testing this spring.