Extensive research into the treatment and control of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from semiconductor industry manufacturing processes has identified the need for alternatives to existing combustion devices. Specifically, semiconductor manufacturing design is moving toward the application of effective, small-scale, abatement control technologies for specific point-of-use (POU) waste streams associated with a particular component or manufacturing tool. The consortium of companies involved in semiconductor precompetitive research and development known collectively as SEMATECH recently evaluated eleven emerging environmental technologies designed to treat POU process emissions of VOCs specific to the semiconductor industry. After rigorous technical review only one technology, the Silent Discharge Plasma (SDP) developed at Low Alamos National Laboratory, was considered to successfully meet the required technical performance standards and potential cost effectiveness necessary for continued consideration by SEMATECH in their point-of-use emissions control plans.
Optical couplers are key components for signal distribution in optoelectronic transmitter/receiver modules. A new low-loss large-angle Y-junction hybrid polymer optical coupler incorporating an integrated microprism has been fabricated and demonstrated experimentally for use in a mixed-signal module environment. The results show that the radiation loss is small with relatively wide branching angle as compared to a conventional Y-junction coupler.
The following seven innovative treatment methods have been identified by the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Office of Technology Development as demonstrating tangible success in the destruction and/or recovery of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the off-gas produced by a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system: (1) Gas-Phase Corona Reactor; (2) Silent Discharge Plasma; (3) Ozone-Enhanced Oxidation; (4) Photocatalytic Oxidation; (5) Thermatrix Padre{trademark} Regenerative Adsorbent System; (6) Brayton Cycle Solvent Recovery Heat Pump; and (7) Thermatrix{trademark} Flameless Thermal Oxidation. Life-cycle cost data for these innovative technologies were compared with those of three baseline treatment methods for controlling VOCs: Granular Activated Carbon, Thermal Oxidation, and Thermal Catalytic Oxidation. A sensitivity analysis was performed showing the dependence of cost on influent VOC concentration, inlet air flow rate, and duration of remedial action. For ease of comparison, and to illustrate how similar treatment methodologies responded to changes in input parameters, both baseline and innovative technologies were further grouped into three primary categories according to their functional processes: thermal, adsorption, and free radical technologies. Results of cost analysis indicated that the size of the treatment system in terms of the inlet air flow rate was the largest single determinant of system capital cost. However, asmore » the duration of treatment increased, the capital cost became a less significant cost parameter than the system operational cost.« less
Extensive research into the treatment and control of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from semiconductor industry manufacturing processes has identified the need for alternatives to existing combustion devices. Specifically, semiconductor manufacturing design is moving toward exploiting effective, small-scale, abatement control technologies for specific point-of-use (POU) waste streams associated with a particular component or manufacturing tool. The Silent Discharge Plasma (SDP) developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory is a nonthermal plasma technology created by a dielectric-ballasted electrical discharge. Influent gas-phase pollutants are destroyed in the reactor by the free radicals or electrons generated by the plasma. This paper examines the potential for SDP to be used in niche circumstances for POU control of VOC exhaust streams specific to the semiconductor industry. A sensitivity analysis is presented, showing how SDP cost of ownership is affected by changes in the major operational parameters of exhaust flow rate, target compound, destruction removal efficiency (DRE), and electrical duty cycle. The results of cost analysis show that SDP performance and cost effectiveness are flow rate- and compound-specific. The authors conclude that the Silent Discharge Plasma is a viable, cost effective technology under high-concentration, low-flow rate regimes, and for target compounds that have been empirically shown to be conducive to destruction via free radical chemistry.
