Exhausting Your Options
By: Kenneth J. Fisher
July/August 2008

Facilities and purchasing managers can achieve positive results for fire safety and occupant health and safety while capturing cost efficiencies through green system material selection.

Semiconductor industry facilities and purchasing managers who are key decision makers for systems and materials selection need to rethink and broaden their approach in selecting, specifying, and purchasing an industrial fume exhaust duct system. By broadening their perspective and taking into consideration the long-term value, the best in “green” class fume exhaust duct systems will ultimately deliver the rewards of reducing waste and improving system sustainability.

The robust fume exhaust duct systems approved for the semiconductor industry are containment systems with specialty lining consisting of a fluoropolymer coating or a composite. The fluoropolymer and composite lining's purpose is to protect the duct containment system from corrosion and chemical attack by the volatile chemicals, toxic fumes, and corrosive vapors. These fume exhaust duct systems transfer the contaminated air produced by the semiconductor manufacturing process to fume abatement scrubber systems. The abatement scrubber systems are typically water sprayed across numerous filaments that wash toxic exhaust air to a clean state before the clean air can be discharged in to the atmosphere.

The semiconductor industry is known to be extremely progressive and continually changing, relentless in the pursuit of new designs and best in class practices. The saying, “the only thing that remains the same is change” fits the industry perfectly. We often read or hear news of an exciting leading edge technology in chip design which reduces manufacturing costs and improves device performance. The result from the implementation of this technology is a win-win providing efficiencies and performance which typically benefit both the company and the ultimate end consumer.

Facilities systems and operations are not as intense or multifaceted as the manufacturing systems which produce a DRAM or flash memory. However, the search for new technologies and the best in class practices related to facilities systems and operations are an aggressive and an ongoing effort because they too can have a positive influence on a semiconductor company's bottom line. Facilities systems and their continual 24 hours a day, 7 days a week operation become a part of the company's long term expense budget. Facility managers are tasked to evaluate, align, and implement cost reduction initiatives on their site to closely match what other industry leaders set as the benchmark for best practices.

MATERIAL ADVANCEMENTS
Taking a deeper look in facilities systems and operations, and specifically a more comprehensive assessment of the fume exhaust duct systems, we find new a new set of system challenges and rewards. The new challenge for facility managers is to define and implement their company's progressive approach to be a responsible industry leader pushing for and supporting the green movement in search of sustainable fume exhaust duct systems. The rewards are the reduction of waste, reduction of energy use, and cost efficiencies while building environmentally friendly system awareness and acceptance.

Improved material chemistry advancements in fume exhaust duct systems over the years have facilitated positive results for fire safety, occupant health and safety while at the same time providing cost efficiencies.

FIRE SAFETY
The importance of the continual development of standards, testing, and audits ensure that the fume exhaust systems meet or exceed occupant health and safety requirements. The industry has the progressive involvement of FM Approvals, a nationally recognized testing laboratory that certifies industrial and commercial products and services that support property loss prevention. FM Approvals continues to be the dominant organization in setting the highest mark in the development of the testing and certification of fume exhaust duct systems for the semiconductor industry. FM Approvals Standard 4922 (FM4922), “Approval Standard For Fume Exhaust Ducts or Fume and Smoke Exhaust Ducts,” (available at www.fmapprovals.com) is the criteria all suppliers must meet or exceed in order earn FM Approvals' certification which indicates that such equipment meets the highest property loss prevention standards in the semiconductor industry.

FM4922 evaluates fume exhaust ducts for their performance in regard to fire spread on the inner and outer surface of the duct, and suitability of the duct to be used for smoke removal. FM4922 is an extremely stringent test for any supplier to pass. When you consider what is at stake, occupant safety and the ever increasing cost of a semiconductor fabrication facility now in the billions of dollars, you can understand why the test is necessary and why the test has gained global acceptance.

INNER COATINGS
Fume exhaust duct suppliers invest heavily in their fabrication and coating application operations, their quality controls, and continual training of team members on best practices to produce a product that will pass the stringent FM4922. Fume exhaust suppliers continually explore and develop new processes and technologies to enhance their existing systems' performance to keep pace with changes of the semiconductor industry. There are numerous statistics on the various grades of the different fume exhaust duct inner protective linings ETFEs (Ethylene – TetraFluoroEthylene) and ECTFEs (Ethylene – ChloroTri- FluorEthylene) and composites making up the FRPs (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) used by the different fume exhaust duct suppliers. These statistics can be presented in a manner to show one fume exhaust system is superior over the other, and yet when the truth be known, there are more partial system failures due the improper installation of the fume exhaust systems then there are partial failures with fluoropolymer coatings or composites that make up the systems.

The reality is, even though FM Approvals provides the highest of standards and the most rigorous testing for fume exhaust duct systems in the semiconductor industry, and the fume exhaust duct systems suppliers invest heavily in their operations, people, and R&D to produce a best in class system which meets or surpasses FM4922 — this is not enough. The reason it is not enough is because FM Approvals and fume exhaust suppliers are not the decision makers who ultimately design, specify system type, and purchase the best in “green” class system for a specific fume condition. Nor will they be ultimately responsible for the system maintenance long-term, the rework of the system, and at some point the disposal of the installed fume exhaust systems.

CHOOSING A GREEN FUME EXHAUST SYSTEM
Facility and purchasing managers in the semiconductor industry have an excellent opportunity to leverage their technical knowledge, evaluate and prioritize initiatives, and pursue their final selection of a fume exhaust duct system that promotes and produces green rewards.

Here are just a few green points to consider when selecting a best in “green” class fume exhaust system:

• What are the impacts to the environment when the system is manufactured for use?
• Where is the fume exhaust system manufactured and what is the travel distance, cost, and impact?
• Is the system easy to install, retrofit, and remove?
• Are there environmental impacts to an occupied space during system install?
• Is the system impacted by ultraviolet light?
• Can the fume exhaust duct be field cut and installed to meet a special length requirement without damaging the integrity of the protection surface?
• Does the system require additional system support protection systems, e.g. fire sprinklers, etc.?
• What system maintenance is required long-term and at what cost?
• Can the system be reused for fume exhaust?
• Can the system be reused for other exhaust systems?
• What percentage of the system can be reused?
• Can the system be easily packaged and stored for reuse?
• Can the system be recycled?
• What percentage of the system can be recycled?
• Are their special hazardous material disposal requirements after system is removed from operation?

Evaluating and recognizing the positive economic potential associated with selecting a fire safe, green fume exhaust duct system is an affirmative step forward for facilities and purchasing managers responding to the semiconductor industry's challenge to push forward in search for the best in “green” class system sustainability, performance, and the reduction of system waste.

Kenneth J. Fisher Sr. is Director, COR*Guard with 17 years experience in Semiconductor Industry Facilities Engineering, Construction, and Planning. He has 8 years experience in Fluoropolymer coated stainless steel fume exhaust duct. COR*Guard is a supplier of stainless steel industrial fume exhaust duct system, PRIME*GUARD, for the Semiconductor Industry. He can be contacted at Ken@corguard.net; www.corguard.net.

Dyneon LLC, a 3M Company and one of the world's leading fluoropolymer suppliers with operations and representation in more than 50 countries offers a wide selection of advanced fluoropolymer materials. Dyneon has developed COR*Guard's ETFE coating system meeting the stringent requirements for corrosion and fire resistance for acid laden fume ducts used in semiconductor industrial applications. DyneonT ETFE is a unique Dyneon copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene.