Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
ISSN: 1545-9624 (Print) 1545-9632 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uoeh20
Exposure Characteristics of Nanoparticles as Process By-products for the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry Kwang-Min Choi , Jin-Ho Kim, Ju-Hyun Park, Kwan-Sick Kim & Gwi-Nam Bae To cite this article: Kwang-Min Choi , Jin-Ho Kim, Ju-Hyun Park, Kwan-Sick Kim & GwiNam Bae (2015) Exposure Characteristics of Nanoparticles as Process By-products for the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 12:8, D153-D160, DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2015.1009983 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2015.1009983
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Accepted author version posted online: 09 Mar 2015.
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Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uoeh20 Download by: [Universite Laval]
Date: 07 November 2015, At: 17:47
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 12: D153–D160 ISSN: 1545-9624 print / 1545-9632 online c 2015 Samsung Electronics Copyright DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2015.1009983
Case Study
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 17:47 07 November 2015
Exposure Characteristics of Nanoparticles as Process By-products for the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry This study aims to elucidate the exposure properties of nanoparticles (NPs; ETCH (120–200) > IMP (80–120) > CMP (25–80) > CVD (25–50); during maintenance, METAL (100–200) > IMP (60–200) > CLN (80–150) > CVD (80–100) > ETCH (20–40). The DIFF process is excluded because no specific morphology was evident (Figure 4d). The data suggest that the size of the NPs for normal conditions is bigger than that for maintenance, likely due to the agglomeration of the NPs with time. Size is a critical parameter for the distribution of particles in the body. Generally, the toxicity of different sized particles can differ in different regions of the lungs. NPs are very capable of reaching the fragile structure of alveoli; their deposition in the alveoli increases with decreasing diameter until 20 nm.(26) The particle sizes ranged from 20–280 nm during normal conditions and maintenance. Thus, there is the potential for particles to deposit to alveoli throughout the airway.
Limitations There are limitations to this study. First, the mass concentration (μg/m3) of NPs during normal conditions and maintenance was not measured. Meanwhile, using a particulate matter sensor with effective aerodynamic diameters of less than 10 μm, 2.5 μm, and 1.0 μm, it has been found that the mass concentrations of airborne particles are lower than the detection limit (0.01 μg/m3) nearby process equipment and in the sub fab (maintenance area of accessory equipment such as pump, chiller, and scrubber connected with semiconductor process equipment) during normal conditions. Additional evaluations under various conditions are needed. Second, the exposure characteristics such as number concentration, size, and shape of NPs were not identified for all tools within each given process. Therefore, the results should not be interpreted as representative of a semiconductor working environment. A related study to better address this limitation is presently ongoing. Finally, TiO2 particles have different toxicity according to their crystal structures, such as anatase and rutile,(26) but the structure of the TiO2 particles generated as a by-product in the semiconductor workplace has not been identified.
CONCLUSION
T
his study aimed to elucidate the characteristics and extent of NP exposure in the semiconductor industry. The NP concentrations observed were extremely low. The present results show that the range of the NPs concentration was 0.00–11.47 particles/cm3 during the normal conditions and maintenance. Average concentration for the CMP process was the highest (3.45 ± 3.65 particles/cm3), and the ETCH process was the lowest (0.11 ± 0.22 particles/cm3). The concentration of NPs measured during maintenance showed a tendency to increase, albeit only incrementally, compared to that measured during normal conditions. The main NPs were SiO2 and TiO2 particles. These particles were nearly spherical and were usually agglomerated with a particle size range of 25–280 nm. CMP, CVD, and ETCH generated NPs
ISSN: 1545-9624 (Print) 1545-9632 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uoeh20
Exposure Characteristics of Nanoparticles as Process By-products for the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry Kwang-Min Choi , Jin-Ho Kim, Ju-Hyun Park, Kwan-Sick Kim & Gwi-Nam Bae To cite this article: Kwang-Min Choi , Jin-Ho Kim, Ju-Hyun Park, Kwan-Sick Kim & GwiNam Bae (2015) Exposure Characteristics of Nanoparticles as Process By-products for the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 12:8, D153-D160, DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2015.1009983 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2015.1009983
View supplementary material
Accepted author version posted online: 09 Mar 2015.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 138
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uoeh20 Download by: [Universite Laval]
Date: 07 November 2015, At: 17:47
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 12: D153–D160 ISSN: 1545-9624 print / 1545-9632 online c 2015 Samsung Electronics Copyright DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2015.1009983
Case Study
Downloaded by [Universite Laval] at 17:47 07 November 2015
Exposure Characteristics of Nanoparticles as Process By-products for the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry This study aims to elucidate the exposure properties of nanoparticles (NPs; ETCH (120–200) > IMP (80–120) > CMP (25–80) > CVD (25–50); during maintenance, METAL (100–200) > IMP (60–200) > CLN (80–150) > CVD (80–100) > ETCH (20–40). The DIFF process is excluded because no specific morphology was evident (Figure 4d). The data suggest that the size of the NPs for normal conditions is bigger than that for maintenance, likely due to the agglomeration of the NPs with time. Size is a critical parameter for the distribution of particles in the body. Generally, the toxicity of different sized particles can differ in different regions of the lungs. NPs are very capable of reaching the fragile structure of alveoli; their deposition in the alveoli increases with decreasing diameter until 20 nm.(26) The particle sizes ranged from 20–280 nm during normal conditions and maintenance. Thus, there is the potential for particles to deposit to alveoli throughout the airway.
Limitations There are limitations to this study. First, the mass concentration (μg/m3) of NPs during normal conditions and maintenance was not measured. Meanwhile, using a particulate matter sensor with effective aerodynamic diameters of less than 10 μm, 2.5 μm, and 1.0 μm, it has been found that the mass concentrations of airborne particles are lower than the detection limit (0.01 μg/m3) nearby process equipment and in the sub fab (maintenance area of accessory equipment such as pump, chiller, and scrubber connected with semiconductor process equipment) during normal conditions. Additional evaluations under various conditions are needed. Second, the exposure characteristics such as number concentration, size, and shape of NPs were not identified for all tools within each given process. Therefore, the results should not be interpreted as representative of a semiconductor working environment. A related study to better address this limitation is presently ongoing. Finally, TiO2 particles have different toxicity according to their crystal structures, such as anatase and rutile,(26) but the structure of the TiO2 particles generated as a by-product in the semiconductor workplace has not been identified.
CONCLUSION
T
his study aimed to elucidate the characteristics and extent of NP exposure in the semiconductor industry. The NP concentrations observed were extremely low. The present results show that the range of the NPs concentration was 0.00–11.47 particles/cm3 during the normal conditions and maintenance. Average concentration for the CMP process was the highest (3.45 ± 3.65 particles/cm3), and the ETCH process was the lowest (0.11 ± 0.22 particles/cm3). The concentration of NPs measured during maintenance showed a tendency to increase, albeit only incrementally, compared to that measured during normal conditions. The main NPs were SiO2 and TiO2 particles. These particles were nearly spherical and were usually agglomerated with a particle size range of 25–280 nm. CMP, CVD, and ETCH generated NPs
