SEMATECH minienvironment benchmarking project

A thin films fabrication facility using minienvironments and product-handling automation was benchmarked to determine the extent to which isolating products from the cleanroom avoids contamination. Data were collected from tests that simulated production conditions while controlling random variables. The study found that isolation factors of at least 1000 were demonstrated by settling wafer data, and 10,000 by aerosol data. In general, lowered room airflow did not significantly degrade minienvironment cleanliness. In addition, the study investigated reliability, electrostatic charge and electromagnetic interference issues, and materials outgassing.