Abstract & Overview
The semiconductor industry uses a number of gases classified as perfluorocompounds (PFCs) in both silicon and dielectric layer etching and chamber cleaning in wafer fabrication equipment. The use of PFC gases in these processes is crucial to the production of semiconductor devices, as there are no effective substitutes that can be utilized. Although PFC emissions caused by the semiconductor industry are a tiny fraction of all industry greenhouse gases emissions, the world's semiconductor manufacturers, assembled in the World Semiconductor Council (WSC) and its affiliated associations, have officially agreed to voluntarily reduce atmospheric emissions of PFCs to 10% below baseline levels in 2010. The WSC has established a reporting program to track PFC emissions by the present five semiconductor manufacturing associations (USA, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Korea). Data released by the WSC today show that the 2008 PFC emissions in most regions are already below the target set for 2010. This cooperative effort by ...