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Mysterious Clean Room: Why Do Semiconductor Factories Need Such an Environment?
Today, with the rapid development of science and technology, the semiconductor industry has become an indispensable part of the global economy. The process of manufacturing electronic components such as microprocessors and memories is called semiconductor manufacturing. This process is not only technically complex, but also requires extremely strict environmental conditions. Among them, the concept of "clean room" is particularly important, because semiconductor manufacturing has extremely high requirements for the control of pollutants, and clean rooms have become the core of semiconductor factories.
Clean rooms are designed not only to prevent dust, but also to ensure the accuracy of all manufacturing processes and improve product yields.
The semiconductor manufacturing process involves dozens of processes, including photolithography, thermal oxidation, thin film deposition, ion implantation and etching. Any small contamination in these processes may lead to the failure of the entire batch. Therefore, cleanroom design is critical to control tiny particles (generally less than 0.5 microns). This is why clean rooms require special air filtration systems that can remove potential contaminants from the air.
Clean rooms usually operate by continuously circulating air and using HEPA filters to maintain air cleanliness. This mode of operation not only reduces the chance of contamination, but also ensures a stable environment during semiconductor manufacturing. In addition, before entering the clean room, staff usually need to go through a series of hygiene procedures, such as wearing professional clean clothing and disinfection, to keep the indoor environment clean.
In the manufacturing of high-end semiconductors, the process time can be as long as 15 weeks, and the ability to control anti-pollution will directly affect the performance and quality of the final product.
With the advancement of science and technology and the shrinkage of semiconductor technology, the requirements for clean room environments have become more stringent. In processes of 14nm and below, especially as transistor sizes shrink, "self-heating" and other phenomena such as "plasma" begin to affect design decisions, making the need for a clean room environment even more urgent.
In the past, the construction of clean rooms was often based on specific material and process requirements, but now it needs to be adjusted according to the requirements of different technology nodes. Not only that, with the adoption of large-size wafers, clean room design has gradually evolved, transitioning from 200mm wafers to 300mm and possibly 450mm wafers in the future. Therefore, cleanroom standards are constantly updated to accommodate these changes.
In fact, the design and operation of clean rooms not only involves the development of technology and technology, but also the competitiveness of the entire industry.
Companies that manufacture semiconductors, such as TSMC and Intel, attach unprecedented importance to clean rooms. As demand increases, past process capabilities no longer meet market demand, prompting companies to continuously expand clean rooms. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the design and management of clean rooms has become the focus of discussion, because they not only need to deal with technical challenges, but also consider hygienic safety.
Based on the above factors, the clean room is not only the core environment of semiconductor manufacturing, but also a witness to technological progress. As semiconductor technology further develops, the design, management, and application of clean rooms will continue to evolve. Such evolution will help improve product quality and promote competition among industries. As for the future where technology is changing with each passing day, will we be able to witness greater breakthroughs brought about by clean rooms?
