Release of arsenic from semiconductor wafers

The production of integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices requires the introduction of impurities or dopants into the crystal lattice of a silicon substrate. This "doping" or junction formation is achieved through one of two processes: thermal diffusion or ion implantation. Ion implantation, the more contemporary and more accurate of the two processes, accomplishes junction formation by bombarding selected areas of the silicon wafer with a beam of dopant ions. Inorganic arsenic, which is regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) as a carcinogen, is frequently used as dopant material. Silicon wafers are found to emit inorganic arsenic following ion implantation. Data collected during this experiment demonstrate that arsenic is released over a 3.5-hour period following implantation and that the total amount of arsenic emitted may approach 6.0 micrograms per 100 wafers processed within 4 hours after implantation. The discovery and quantification of this phenomenon suggest that newly implanted silicon wafers are a potential source of arsenic contamination--a source that may impact both the quality of the work environment and the integrated circuit product.