Purafil, Inc. systems to protect semiconductor processes against AMC

Air quality to improve in two leading Taiwan foundries

DORAVILLE, Ga.- Two cutting-edge foundries in Taiwan have re-ordered Purafils patented media and chemical filters to protect their recirculation air systems from airborne molecular contamination (AMC). The Purafil systems, which have been in use for over two years, remove chlorine, ozone and volatile organic compounds from the facilities.

"Airborne molecular contamination can impact almost all aspects of sub-micron device fabrication, from overall fab operation to final device performance," said Chris Muller, technical services manager at Purafil. "We are getting to the point where AMC control is not just talked about but is required."

The technology of one high-volume wafer manufacturer allows for the creation of faster, more powerful chips for copper interconnects, low-k dielectrics, embedded DRAM, mixed signal/RFCMOS and other demanding applications.

The second foundry also produces a significant amount of wafers and is the largest supplier of Mask ROMs worldwide. This manufacturer is the only high-density nonvolatile memory semiconductor to produce all three categories of Flash, EPROM and Mask ROM devices.

For over 30 years Purafil has developed air-cleaning systems that eliminate, control and provide real-time monitoring of corrosive, odorous, hazardous and toxic gases. A privately-held company, Purafil maintains nearly 20,000 installations worldwide in the commercial, industrial, municipal, preservation and semiconductor markets.