Chip industry workers deserve world-class fire safety
01/01/1998
Chip industry workers deserve world-class fire safety
Any time a fire or other emergency erupts in a wafer fab, it`s potentially deadly. Fabs are, by design, tightly contained environments, usually without direct access to the outdoors, and dependent on electrical and mechanical systems for light, air, and control of the chemicals used in production.
Fortunately, through a combination of technology and discipline, fabs can be safe places to work. The semiconductor industry in the developed nations generally has a reasonable record on worker safety, and Semi and other organizations (both public and private) are working to improve matters.
However, the recent fire at UICC, a Taiwanese fab owned by United Microelectronics (UMC) and several US-based chip companies, and indications of fire-related problems at other fabs on the island, suggest some real problems.
While the official cause of the UICC blaze is still undetermined, it is troubling that the damage was so extensive. The entire building was apparently gutted. Given the recent advances in fire detection and suppression, a brand-new wafer fab that has cost hundreds of millions of dollars should not be at risk of wide-ranging destruction. More importantly, the lives of those inside should not be put in danger - even in the rush to get a line up and running.
This fire is similar to a devastating one in 1996 at Winbond, in that both fabs were engaged in early production. That fire also caused extensive damage - the maximum foreseeable, according to information from Semi, which incorporated insurance company reports, firsthand descriptions and newspaper accounts of the event.
The fire began in a non-safety-certified wet bench used to clean quartzware. The bench`s vent was - again according to Semi - made of polypropylene, not stainless steel or reinforced fiberglass, and was not equipped with sprinklers. It heated up and then ruptured. The situation then went from bad to worse, because the vent ran through the fab`s return air plenum. As a result, heat, smoke, and hydrochloric acid fumes were spread through the facility.
When I described this situation to Ron Brooks, a Sematech veteran who is now environmental manager at Samsung Austin Semiconductor, he rolled his eyes, shook his head, and gave a rueful laugh. "You can`t do that here," he said. In a well-designed, modern fab such as Samsung Austin, all exhaust lines are fully separate from the system that provides life support for everyone in the cleanroom.
But the story gets worse. The Winbond fab was equipped with an incipient fire detection system, but it had reportedly been turned off because of too many false alarms. Moreover, the facility had a "pre-action" sprinkler system, pressurized with air instead of being charged with water and slower to react to fires - contrary to the industry norm. Worst of all, many of the facility`s fire doors were said to have been locked.
Look - if a corporation has its act together enough to raise $1 billion or more in capital, and to get a sub-micron process into production, it clearly has enough wherewithal to provide a proper working environment for its employees, and for the many service and support personnel from other companies who must spend days or weeks on site. To do anything less is deeply disrespectful to the people whose work will provide that corporation`s profit. Basic human rights aside, you will never become a world-class chipmaker if you`re busy replacing torched equipment and scrambling to fulfill customer commitments.
UMC and the US partners in UICC need to step up and take responsibility for finding out what happened at their fab and to ensure that no corners are cut when the project gets back in gear, even if that means spending money on redesign and better hardware. In addition, managers at equipment companies should insist on proof of functioning safety systems and well-defined emergency procedures before sending their employees into any fab, whatever its location, however big the customer. In this industry, there is enormous pressure to do whatever it takes to get a job done, but risking health and lives is beyond the pale, and hostile to worker and family alike.
This piece ran in WaferNews, Oct. 20, 1997.