Managing the hazards and environmental challenges of Epi deposition processes in Solar and Semiconductor manufacturing

Johnsgard, Mark*; Johnsgard, Kris
(Ebara Technologies Inc., Sacramento, California)

You must log in to view the full proceedings.

Epitaxial deposition has long been an essential process in the manufacture of many semiconductor devices, including microprocessors, memory, and power devices. With the added applications in the solar industry, many new and larger deposition systems along with a new generation of designers, engineers and technicians will be challenged with safely handling the many potential hazards of Epi deposition. This paper will outline the many hazards of the Epi process, focusing on the safe and effective treatment of the exhaust gas stream, and the challenges of the upcoming high capacity tools currently under development for the solar industry. Wet scrubbing can be an effective abatement strategy for Epi process but must offer high efficiency gas removal and long times between maintenance. The high efficiencies minimize the impact to facility systems and the environment. The extended maintenance intervals lead to minimized human interface and exposure to contaminants within the abatement internals, and greatly reduce the incidence of human error during servicing.

Back to SESHA 31st Annual Symposium (2009)