Technology with the Environment in Mind

  Section 8 of 12  

Evaluation Process for Semiconductor Fabrication Materials that are Better for the Environment

CASE STUDY ON PERFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS (PFCS)

PFCs are key materials used for plasma chamber cleaning in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and for plasma dry etch. They are also a group of materials that have been identified as having high Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) in reference to the GWP of carbon dioxide (CO2). In some instances, these GWPs can be thousands of times higher that that of CO2. The high GWP of PFCs led to a great deal of focus on the reduction of their emissions beginning in the late 1990s, and that focus is expected to continue for many years.

The reduction of PFC emissions was the first effort by the WSC to establish a voluntary agreement across the semiconductor industry. The goal was a 10% reduction in absolute PFC emissions from 1995 levels, by 2010. This required extensive collaboration between semiconductor manufacturers, equipment suppliers, materials suppliers, and research from universities and consortia. To develop the agreement and a roadmap for reductions also required collaboration within Intel between Government Affairs, Legal, EHS, Technology Development, and GFM-EHS.

The reduction efforts focused on the high-end of the pollution prevention hierarchy where reduce, reuse, and replace were the priority. The search for alternatives tied into another GFM-EHS strategic program, Environmentally Benign Materials Research (EBMR). Significant progress has been achieved over the past 10+ years in reducing emissions through the evaluation and integration of these environmentally benign materials into the manufacturing process. Using the screening process on new potential materials allowed for the selection of the best alternative, without replacing one environmental problem for another. The development of replacements came from a wide range of sources from universities to suppliers. However, the integration of these materials into the manufacturing process required significant work due to the complexity of making a chip.

Currently, Intel Corporation is on track to meet the voluntary goal for 2010 and continues to not only focus on opportunities for reducing emissions but inserting distinct requirements for reduction into future technology development roadmaps. This continues to push us to seek out new alternatives and methods for reductions.

  Section 8 of 12  

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