The Role of POU Abatement in Sustainable Manufacturing

Holsbrink, Jan ; Worth , Walter
(SESHA )

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Sustainable operation of a modern semiconductor manufacturing fab requires a sophisticated support system of several centralized exhaust systems as well as a number of different, often highly specialized point-of-use abatement systems. The systems are required to treat unavoidable waste products resulting from the manufacture of semiconductors. While abatement ranks lowest in the hierarchy of waste emissions reduction schemes (i.e., the use of alternative chemistries, process optimization, and recovery/recycle), it performs a vital function in preventing corrosive, flammable, toxic, pyrophoric, and global warming emissions from impacting the environment or safety and health of the fab personnel and the community in which the fab operates. POU devices allow treatment of these emissions at their source to expeditiously remove any safety hazard and allow cost-effective treatment before downstream dilution and co-mingling of the hazardous components. This paper will present the results of recent ISMI studies which surveyed the state-of-the-technology of commercially available POU abatement devices and installed base at ISMI member companies. It will look at the various processes in a typical fab and identify the best known methods for treating the various gaseous emissions and waste streams. There have been significant advances over the years in optimizing these devices to lower their natural resource consumption (energy and water). Operation of any fab without POU abatement devices is unthinkable.

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