Vacuum Pump in Semiconductor Process

With the rapid development of semiconductor technology, semiconductor devices are also innovating and developing from generation to generation. Nowadays, the manufacture and use of semiconductor equipment involves many high and new technologies, such as various chemical elements, and has a strong technical comprehensiveness. Moreover, the development of semiconductor equipment technology gradually integrates process technology modularization into equipment, making it highly automated and highly intelligent, gradually changing the situation of natural separation of equipment and process, and always in the forefront of the development of semiconductor manufacturing industry, playing a special important role. With the further development of semiconductor devices, their applications have become more and more extensive. In other electronic device manufacturing fields, semiconductor devices or devices evolved from semiconductor devices have also been used to varying degrees, which has become a new field of semiconductor device applications. Especially in the micro/nano electronic devices, micro/nano optoelectronic systems and other products with minimal size and very high precision, the gradual application of electronic components development is of great significance.

Semiconductor process vacuum is mainly used in evaporation, sputtering, PECVD, vacuum dry etching, vacuum adsorption, testing equipment, vacuum cleaning and other bonding processes. Flammable, explosive and toxic substance gases are easily produced in the manufacturing process of semiconductor, which will threaten the production and personnel safety. Therefore, several safety issues need to be paid attention to in the application of Semiconductor Vacuum pump.

What are the safety issues of vacuum pumps used in semiconductor processes? EVP professional vacuum pump producer has tidied up the most important safety precautions for you to use in semiconductor process manufacturing enterprises.

1. Filtration and regular cleaning of vacuum pumps and other accessories, filters and pipes to avoid overpressure:

In the application of Semiconductor Vacuum pump, the composition of the extracting medium may be very complex through reaction chamber and vacuum pump. For example, SiO_2 is formed by SiH_4 and O_2 at the pump port, and HCl is formed by TiCl_4 hydrolysis. Assuming oil-sealed mechanical pump, these gaseous substances may also react with pump oil. These changes assume that the formation of particles, condensates or corrosive media may block the vacuum pump or pipeline system, affect the performance of the vacuum pump, cause pressure rise or overpressure, and the danger mentioned in the second point is greater. Therefore, it is necessary to clean in time and set up filtration equipment when necessary.

2. Effective dilution of harmful gas concentration:

Semiconductors are prone to produce the flammable, explosive, toxic and harmful gases mentioned above. Therefore, in the application of Semiconductor Vacuum pumps, when extracting these media, it is necessary to prevent some uncontrollable reactions occurring in the vacuum pump or in the exhaust process. For example, SiH4, PH3, AsH3, B2H6 and other substances, when in contact with air or oxygen, will cause combustion or even explosion; hydrogen in the air mixing ratio to a certain extent and temperature will also occur combustion. All of these depend on the amount of the substance and its relationship with the pressure and temperature of the environment. Therefore, when the semiconductor vacuum pump extracts these media, it needs to use inert gases such as nitrogen, which will be diluted to the safe range of the conditions before compression.

3. Pay attention to the concentration of oxygen:

If the concentration of oxygen in the air is too high, the risk of combustion and explosion will also occur. Therefore, in some cases, attention should be paid to the concentration of oxygen, dilution with inert gas to prevent excessive concentration; assuming that oil seal mechanical pumps may also need to use some inert and oxygen-compatible vacuum pump oil, and timely replacement of oil filters and oil products.

4. Prevent excessive temperature:

It is easy to understand this point. Semiconductor has more harmful gases in the application of vacuum pump. Whether it is a dry vacuum pump or an oil seal mechanical pump, if the temperature in the pump chamber is too high, flammable, explosive and toxic gases will easily occur at high temperature.

The above four aspects are the most important safety issues of vacuum pumps used in semiconductor technology. Generally speaking, oil-sealed mechanical pumps need to pay more attention to safety details than dry vacuum pumps, and the disposal is more complex. When we use vacuum pumps, we need to pay attention to the safety precautions in the use of conductors, and do a good job in the operation manual for later reuse. Because small problems are related to operation, output, efficiency and safety, we should extend the service life of vacuum pumps, strive to coordinate the balance and ensure efficiency and safety.

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