Chemical use in the semiconductor manufacturing industry

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Industrial Chemistry
• Occupational Safety

Background:

• The semiconductor industry relies on numerous chemicals, but their exact identities are often concealed as trade secrets.
• Limited information exists regarding the specific chemical agents employed in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze chemical usage within a major semiconductor company by examining safety data sheets (SDS) and chemical inventories.
• To quantify the types and amounts of chemicals, including photoresists and carcinogens, used in two semiconductor factories.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive statistical analysis of chemical products, ingredients, and trade secrets.
• Classification of carcinogens based on International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) data.
• Estimation of annual chemical usage based on inventory mass (kg).

Main Results:

• Factories A and B used 428 and 432 chemical products, respectively, with 189 and 157 unique ingredients.
• A significant number of products contained carcinogens (e.g., sulfuric acid, catechol, naphthalene).
• Photolithography chemicals constituted 21-26% of total products, with over 97% containing trade secrets.

Conclusions:

• Annual chemical consumption per person was substantial (4.3-8.3 tons).
• High levels of commercial secrecy and use of unregulated chemicals pose health and safety risks.
• Implementation of sustainable policies and methods is crucial for improving safety in the semiconductor industry.