Abatement Testing – High Performance and Continuous Improvement

Davia, Dan; Raley, Brian; Joe van Gompel, Bruce Tripp,
(Matheson, Longmont CO; GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Malta NY; IBM, Hopewell Junction NY)

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The mandatory reporting rule established by the US EPA in 2010 requires semiconductor manufacturers to report emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs) from their facilities. As part of this rule manufacturers are permitted to either use a default destruction or removal efficiency (DRE) for F-GHGs, or measure actual F-GHG DREs on a subset of their entire point of use (POU) abatement fleet. The latter approach provides an accurate account of DRE performance and gives fab management and abatement vendors a powerful tool to impart improvements on abatement units that may be performing below manufacturers specified DREs; ultimately leading to reduced F-GHG emissions to the environment. However, deciding to test DRE performance versus selecting default DRE values brings with it additional financial and operational burdens to the fab that must be carefully considered. In this work, DRE testing conducted in 2012 at two 300 mm fabs will be discussed. Topics will include details regarding the DRE improvements made in 2012 to a mature POU abatement fleet (IBM, Hopewell Junction NY) based on lessons learned from abatement testing conducted in 2011, and how these improvements will be continued into 2013. Topics will also include the DRE performance benefits presented by a fleet of new POU abatement units (GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Malta NY) that are equipped with the latest combustion-based abatement technology. The presentation will conclude with DRE performance summaries and lessons learned in anticipation of a revision to the EPA’s mandatory reporting rule (expected in calendar year 2013).

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