Solutions for the construction of constant temperature and humidity laboratories in the semiconductor industry
Release time:
2024-12-17
This article delves into the key elements of building a constant temperature and humidity laboratory in the semiconductor industry. Starting from the stringent requirements of temperature and humidity control, it elaborates on aspects such as planning and design, equipment selection, environmental monitoring and calibration, energy-saving measures, and safety protection during the construction process, aiming to provide comprehensive and professional guidance for laboratory construction in the semiconductor field and related high-tech industries.
1. Introduction
In the semiconductor manufacturing field, even minor environmental changes can have a significant impact on chip production quality and yield. Constant temperature and humidity laboratories, as key infrastructure in semiconductor R&D and production processes, have their construction precision and reliability directly related to the core competitiveness of enterprises. As semiconductor technology continues to advance towards smaller processes, the stability requirements for laboratory environments are becoming increasingly stringent, presenting unprecedented challenges and opportunities for the construction of constant temperature and humidity laboratories.
2. Temperature and Humidity Control Requirements
The semiconductor manufacturing process is extremely sensitive to changes in environmental temperature and humidity. Generally, the temperature needs to be precisely controlled within ±0.5°C or even smaller ranges, while humidity is usually required to be maintained within ±3% RH. For example, in the chip photolithography process, slight temperature fluctuations can lead to changes in the viscosity of the photoresist, thereby affecting the accuracy of the photolithography; excessive humidity may cause moisture to be adsorbed on the wafer surface, leading to oxidation or corrosion issues, severely affecting the electrical performance and reliability of the chip.
3. Key Points in Planning and Design
(1) Spatial Layout
The spatial layout of the laboratory should be reasonably divided according to the process flow. Clearly distinguish functional areas such as experimental areas, equipment areas, and auxiliary areas to reduce interference from personnel movement and equipment operation on the experimental environment. At the same time, sufficient space should be reserved for equipment maintenance, sample transportation, and emergency handling to ensure the efficient operation of the laboratory.
(2) Enclosure Structure
Use building materials with excellent thermal insulation and airtight performance to construct the laboratory's enclosure structure. The walls can be made of color steel plates or polyurethane sandwich panels with good thermal insulation properties, which have low thermal conductivity and can effectively reduce heat transfer. The floor should use anti-static, wear-resistant, and moisture-proof materials, such as anti-static terrazzo or epoxy flooring, and proper moisture-proof treatment should be done. The ceiling design should consider facilitating the installation of ventilation ducts, lighting equipment, and temperature and humidity adjustment devices, while ensuring its airtightness to prevent air leakage.
4. Equipment Selection and Installation
(1) Air Conditioning System
Precision Air Conditioning: Choose precision air conditioning units specifically designed for constant temperature and humidity environments. These air conditioners have high-precision temperature and humidity adjustment capabilities, using advanced compressor technology, electronic expansion valves, and sensors to quickly respond to environmental changes and perform precise control. For example, some well-known brands of precision air conditioning can achieve temperature adjustment accuracy of ±0.1°C and humidity adjustment accuracy of ±1% RH.
Redundant Design: To ensure the reliability of the air conditioning system, a redundant configuration is adopted. This means equipping multiple air conditioning units so that when one unit fails, the other units can automatically take on the full load, maintaining the stability of the laboratory's temperature and humidity. At the same time, the air conditioning system should have automatic switching, fault alarm, and remote monitoring functions to facilitate maintenance personnel in timely discovering and addressing issues.
Extreme Measurement (Nanjing) Technology Co., Ltd., as a mature manufacturer of high-precision environmental control equipment, focuses on innovation and development, committed to providing customized environmental control solutions for global enterprises, injecting efficiency into your production environment with strict temperature, humidity, and cleanliness standards. Its high-precision environmental control equipment can achieve:
Control output accuracy of 0.1%
The stability of internal temperature in key areas can reach +/-5mk (static), with internal temperature specifications of 22.0°C (adjustable), and temperature uniformity less than 16mk/m.
The stability of internal humidity can reach ±0.5%@8h.
The stability of internal pressure can reach +/-3pa.
Continuous stable working time greater than 144h.
Appearance of environmental control equipment (customizable)
(2) Humidification and Dehumidification Equipment
Humidification Methods: Common humidification methods include electrode humidification, infrared humidification, and steam humidification. Electrode humidification generates heat through electric current in the electrodes in water, evaporating the water into steam released into the air, characterized by fast humidification speed and high precision, but requires regular cleaning of electrodes to prevent scale buildup; infrared humidification uses infrared radiation to evaporate water, with a simple structure and easy maintenance, but relatively small humidification capacity; steam humidification can directly introduce steam sources, with large and stable humidification capacity, suitable for large laboratories.
Dehumidification Methods: A combination of refrigeration dehumidification and rotary dehumidification is used. Refrigeration dehumidification utilizes a refrigeration system to cool the air below the dew point temperature, causing moisture to condense into droplets and be expelled, suitable for environments with high humidity and suitable temperatures; rotary dehumidification uses adsorbents to absorb moisture from the air, effectively dehumidifying at lower temperatures, especially suitable for semiconductor process environments with extremely low humidity requirements. The two dehumidification methods work in coordination to meet dehumidification needs under different working conditions.
Extreme Measurement's products: Precision Electric Heating Humidifier
(3) Ventilation and Airflow Organization
Reasonably design the ventilation system to ensure uniform air circulation indoors and effective discharge of pollutants. Use supply and return air ducts combined with high-efficiency filters to filter dust particles from the air, ensuring the cleanliness of the laboratory. The airflow organization should adopt either upper supply and lower return or upper supply and upper return methods to create stable airflow circulation indoors, avoiding local temperature and humidity differences and airflow dead zones.
5. Environmental Monitoring and Calibration
(1) Monitoring Equipment
Install high-precision temperature and humidity sensors, pressure sensors, and air quality monitoring devices to monitor laboratory environmental parameters in real-time. Temperature and humidity sensors should have high resolution, fast response, and long-term stability, with measurement accuracy meeting the laboratory's control requirements. For example, use platinum resistance temperature and humidity sensors with an accuracy of ±0.1°C and ±1% RH, and regularly calibrate and maintain them to ensure data accuracy.
(2) Calibration and Maintenance
Establish a strict calibration system, regularly calibrating monitoring equipment and temperature and humidity adjustment devices. The calibration cycle can be determined based on the frequency of equipment use and stability, generally every 3 to 6 months. At the same time, strengthen daily maintenance of the equipment, check the operation status of the air conditioning system's filters, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers, and promptly clean and replace faulty components to ensure normal operation of the equipment.
6. Energy-saving measures
(1) Energy-saving equipment selection
Under the premise of meeting temperature and humidity control requirements, prioritize the selection of equipment with high energy efficiency ratios. For example, using air conditioning units with variable frequency technology can automatically adjust the compressor speed based on actual load, reducing energy consumption. At the same time, use energy-saving lighting, ventilation, and electrical equipment to reduce the overall energy consumption of the laboratory.
(2) Intelligent control system
Establish an intelligent temperature and humidity control system to achieve precise control of equipment through optimized control algorithms. The system can automatically adjust the operating parameters of the air conditioning system based on changes in indoor and outdoor environments, personnel activities, and equipment operating status, improving energy utilization efficiency. For example, during nighttime or non-peak experimental periods, the system can automatically reduce the load of the air conditioning system to achieve energy-saving operation.
7. Safety protection
(1) Electrical safety
The electrical system of the laboratory should comply with relevant safety standards, employing measures such as grounding protection, leakage protection, and overcurrent protection to prevent electrical accidents. The installation of electrical equipment should facilitate operation and maintenance, avoiding exposed wires and cables to prevent electric shock and fire hazards.
(2) Fire safety
Equipped with complete fire safety facilities, including fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, and automatic fire extinguishing devices. The decoration materials of the laboratory should be flame-retardant to reduce the likelihood of fire. At the same time, develop fire emergency plans and regularly organize fire drills to enhance personnel's fire safety awareness and emergency response capabilities.
(3) Chemical safety
Since the semiconductor manufacturing process may involve the use of certain chemicals, the laboratory should set up a dedicated chemical storage area and equip it with corresponding protective facilities and emergency response equipment. Strict management of the storage, use, and disposal of chemicals should be implemented to prevent chemical leaks, volatilization, and environmental pollution.
8. Conclusion
The construction of constant temperature and humidity laboratories in the semiconductor industry is a complex and systematic project that requires comprehensive consideration of temperature and humidity control requirements, planning and design, equipment selection and installation, environmental monitoring and calibration, energy-saving measures, and safety protection. Only through scientific and reasonable design, careful construction, and strict management can a high-precision constant temperature and humidity laboratory that meets the needs of semiconductor manufacturing processes be created, providing reliable environmental support for the innovative development of the semiconductor industry. In the future, with the continuous advancement of semiconductor technology, laboratory construction will also face new challenges. Extreme Measurement (Nanjing) Technology Co., Ltd. will continue to iterate new products to contribute to the creation of precision environments!
