+44 (0)24 7671 8970
More publications     •     Advertise with us     •     Contact us
 
News Article

World's First Point-of-Use Abatement of Harmful Gases in Wet Bench Semiconductor Processes



Responding with a breakthrough approach to a major semiconductor customer request, DAS Environmental developed and installed SALIX "“ the world's first and only commercially available point-of-use system for removing waste gas pollutants in semiconductor wafer manufacturing wet bench applications "“ and, after six months of evaluation, has announced it is proven fully effective.
 
DAS believes its unique approach of using a high-efficiency; small footprint point-of-use system that lowers abatement cost opens new markets for cost-effective treatment of single-wafer wet bench exhaust gases. DAS also announced it has added Technica, U.S.A. as a new local service partner to deliver faster response time for service and maintenance for U.S. customers. 

DAS Environmental Expert is a global enterprise focused solely on waste abatement in semiconductor/ LED/PV/FPD manufacturing for clean air and clean water.

Dr. Guy Davies, director of the Waste Gas Abatement business unit at DAS Environmental Expert explained, "When a global foundry based in Taiwan came to us seeking a better solution to treat water-soluble exhaust gases from a wet bench application, we installed SALIX as a first-of-its-kind point-of-use system. It has been running there since January of this year and, after six months of operation, emissions measurements show zero harmful substances in the exhaust. One SALIX system per wet bench is all that's needed and just one pipe for the cleaned exhaust.

"We are pleased to provide SALIX for our customers as a fully effective point-of-use solution for harmful gas abatement. It offers a smaller footprint with no switching boxes needed, and is far more cost-effective and efficient than central scrubbers for treating processes that create water-soluble waste gases. We believe our proven SALIX solution, which is SEMI S2 international and German TA-Luft standards compliant, opens new markets for point-of-use scrubbers in the semiconductor, LED, PV and FPD industries. In fact, we have seen increasing interest in SALIX and already have received multiple inquiries from U.S. customers. In addition, we are using the evaluation results for further process-based optimization and have developed a custom fit bypass function that will enable production to continue with no interruption.

"We are also very pleased to welcome Technica as a new service partner. It is known for excellent collaboration and service, and adds value for our customers with its short response time for onsite support."

Reduced Cost, More Efficient Abatement

The single-wafer cleaning process widely used for cleaning 300-millimeter wafers in wet benches distributes cleaning agents onto rapidly spinning single wafers and spins them off at the edge where baffle plates within the system collect the water, acidic and alkaline chemicals, and volatile solvents; the process for cleaning 200-millimeter wafers immerses the entire cassette. With up to 12 stations per wet bench and exhaust from each chamber requiring several exhaust systems, the breakthrough DAS approach using SALIX eliminates the need for elaborate space-filling change-over modules to avoid deposition in the pipes. It is far more cost-effective and efficient at preventing clogging than the extremely elaborate extraction systems commonly used to separate and extract the acids, alkalines and solvents in the exhausts; these require separate suction to prevent particle buildup and condensation within the pipes.

In contrast, SALIX removes the harmful substances from the gas stream directly at their point of origin using a two-stage scrubber process of chemical and physical absorption, and can treat up to 3600 m3/h of raw gas. Separate inlets feed the harmful gases from the wet bench process chambers into a SALIX pre-scrubber that pre-cleans the gas using spray nozzles. Next the waste gases pass into the first scrubber stage and then a second stage that uses a different scrubbing liquid. The remaining clean gas then can be released safely into the air without any danger to the technology or the environment. Because the SALIX system does not require any air dilution, the clean air remains in the clean room, further reducing cost.

Purdue, imec, Indiana announce partnership
Resilinc partners with SEMI on supply chain resilience
NIO and NXP collaborate on 4D imaging radar deployment
Panasonic Industry digitally transforms with Blue Yonder
Global semiconductor sales decrease 8.7%
MIT engineers “grow” atomically thin transistors on top of computer chips
Keysight joins TSMC Open Innovation Platform 3DFabric Alliance
Leti Innovation Days to explore microelectronics’ transformational role
Quantum expansion
indie launches 'breakthrough' 120 GHz radar transceiver
Wafer fab equipment - facing uncertain times?
Renesas expands focus on India
Neuralink selects Takano Wafer Particle Measurement System
Micron reveals committee members
Avoiding unscheduled downtime in with Preventive Vacuum Service
NFC chip market size to surpass US$ 7.6 billion
Fujifilm breaks ground on new €30 million European expansion
Fraunhofer IIS/EAS selects Achronix embedded FPGAs
Siemens announces certifications for TSMC’s latest processes
EU Chips Act triggers further €7.4bn investment
ASE recognised for excellence by Texas Instruments
Atomera signs license agreement with STMicroelectronics
Gartner forecasts worldwide semiconductor revenue to decline 11% in 2023
CHIPS for America outlines vision for the National Semiconductor Technology Center
TSMC showcases new technology developments
Alphawave Semi showcases 3nm connectivity solutions
Greene Tweed to open new facility in Korea
Infineon enables next-generation automotive E/E architectures
Global AFM market to reach $861.5 million
Cepton expands proprietary chipset
Semtech adds two industry veterans to board of directors
Specialty gas expansion
×
Search the news archive

To close this popup you can press escape or click the close icon.
Logo
×
Logo
×
Register - Step 1

You may choose to subscribe to the Silicon Semiconductor Magazine, the Silicon Semiconductor Newsletter, or both. You may also request additional information if required, before submitting your application.


Please subscribe me to:

 

You chose the industry type of "Other"

Please enter the industry that you work in:
Please enter the industry that you work in: