Leaching Materials Piping Distribution

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Abstract

As equipment suppliers scramble to accommodate future 450-millimeter (mm) wafer production, the lesser recognized, yet equally important utilities feeding these tools must also keep pace. According to Klaiberﾒs Law, the diameter of the largest conduit necessary to convey the required volume of ultrapure water (UPW*) in a wafer factory is approximately equal to the diameter of the wafer being cleaned (1). These piping system mains, usually made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), have historically increased in size from 110-mm diameter, when 100-mm wafers were popular, through to the current need of 315-mm piping mains for 300-mm wafers. Leading industry experts are confident that 450mm wafers are inevitable for the semiconductor industry (2). To facilitate rapid implementation of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) 300 to 450-mm wafer transition strategy into best in class practice, the five leading companies (INTEL, IBM, Global Foundries, TSMC, and Samsung) have established the G450C venture in Albany, N.Y. Together with the efforts of the European Equipment and Materials 450-mm Initiative (EEMI450), the critical mass of intellectual and physical assets to support program execution and state-of-the-art infrastructure has been achieved.

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