T8-1 - Sources and solutions of fire and explosion in semiconductor fabrication processes

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the fire and explosion hazards of semiconductor fabs from the point of view of chemical process safety through several illustrated examples. It also highlights the differences and similarities of the hazards between semiconductor fabs and chemical plants. Although current chemical process safety technologies can be readily applied to the semiconductor fabs, further works are required to completely elucidate the sources and solutions of the hazards in semiconductor fabs. Semiconductor fabrication processes are special kind of chemical processes. The semiconductor manufacturing industries differ from the chemical process industries in the types and quantities of the chemicals used and the way chemicals react. Although the semiconductor industries use much less chemicals compared with the chemical industries, the widespread use of exotic chemicals, such as silane, nitrogen trifluoride, etc., in the semiconductor fabrication processes rendered the “fab” extremely vulnerable to fire and explosion.