Treatment of sensitive and climate-damaging process exhaust gases

Destroy climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as SF₆, NF₃ and CF₄ using POU systems, and replace conventional gas burners directly at the process.

Industries

Treatment of sensitive and climate-damaging process exhaust gases

Destroy climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as SF₆, NF₃ and CF₄ using POU systems, and replace conventional gas burners directly at the process.

Industries

Treatment of sensitive and climate-damaging process exhaust gases

Destroy climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as SF₆, NF₃ and CF₄ using POU systems, and replace conventional gas burners directly at the process.

Industries

Semiconductor industry

Challenges facing the semiconductor industry

The semiconductor industry is one of the most technologically demanding sectors—and one that produces particularly sensitive exhaust gases. Process gases are used in etching, cleaning and coating processes and must not be released untreated into the environment. These include, in particular, climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as SF₆, NF₃ and CF₄, as well as flammable and toxic gases such as silane.

Some of these substances have an extremely high global warming potential and must be reliably destroyed with high removal rates. In point-of-use (POU) systems in the semiconductor industry, conventional gas burners are reaching their limits: they use flammable gases, are complex to operate and do not always achieve the required destruction efficiency. At the same time, space is limited at the equipment directly beside the process, making compact and safe systems essential.

Industries

Semiconductor industry

Challenges facing the semiconductor industry

The semiconductor industry is one of the most technologically demanding sectors – and one with particularly sensitive exhaust gases. Process gases are used in etching, cleaning and coating processes and must not be released untreated into the environment. These include, in particular, climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as SF₆, NF₃ and CF₄, as well as flammable and toxic gases such as silanes.

Some of these substances have an extremely high global warming potential and must be reliably destroyed with high destruction rates. In point-of-use (POU) systems in the semiconductor industry, conventional gas burners reach their limits: they use flammable gases, are complex to operate and do not always achieve the required destruction efficiency. At the same time, space directly next to the process equipment is limited, making compact and safe systems essential.

Solutions for the semiconductor industry

Together with a system partner, PlasmaAir AG has developed Point-of-Use (POU) systems specifically for the semiconductor industry. These systems replace conventional gas burners directly at the process for efficient and reliable exhaust gas treatment. Each system consists of a high-temperature plasma stage followed by a wet scrubber; at its core is a plasma burner that uses nitrogen as the plasma gas.

The key advantage is that the process operates without combustible gases, achieves high removal rates of over 95% and can be implemented in small, compact systems. In technical terms, the systems operate at an electrical power of 5–25 kW, a nitrogen flow rate of 10–40 slm, average jet temperatures of 3,000–6,000 °C and core temperatures of up to 14,000 °C, with electrode lifetimes of several hundred hours.

As with all PlasmaAir solutions, customers receive not just the plasma source, but complete turnkey systems with all the components required for safe and reliable operation of the plasma stage—all from one supplier, from project planning through to commissioning.

Applications

POU systems for the semiconductor industry