How SEMI S2 and Related SEMI Safety Standards Ensure Safe and Sustainable Semiconductor Manufacturing

An ultra-clean, carefully regulated environment is needed for semiconductor manufacturing to ensure the highest level of quality and functionality in the final products. Fabrication takes place in climate-controlled cleanrooms, designed with advanced airflow systems to maintain extremely low levels of airborne particles, dust, and contaminants. To ensure that the extremely sensitive manufacturing equipment is shielded from noise, vibration, and electrostatic discharge, extra precautions and unique installation techniques are implemented. In order to preserve the intended environment and site safety in these facilities, rigorous protocol observance, routine testing, equipment calibration, and continuous monitoring are necessary.

Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International? (SEMI) is a global industry association with members from all sectors of the semiconductor supply chain and other related industries. With the explosive demand for chips across industries, new fabrication sites are constantly emerging, driving a surge in equipment demand and an increased emphasis on sustainability and sustainable sourcing.

Over the last 25 years, SEMI’s Environmental Health and Safety Global Technical committee has developed and maintained the SEMI Safety guidelines, the globally recognized standards for the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) aspects of semiconductor manufacturing. SEMI S2 is the foundational guideline in SEMI's fleet of safety documents which is intended as a set of performance-based EHS considerations for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

The SEMI S2 includes guidelines for the safe design, construction, and operation of equipment, encompassing electrical, mechanical, chemical, and radiation safety. It aims to ensure that the equipment is designed, manufactured, and used in a manner that minimizes potential risks to operators, maintenance personnel, and the environment.

The standard also focuses on the environmental impacts of the equipment, requiring the control of emissions, waste management, and resource conservation to minimize environmental footprints. Comprehensive documentation is also mandated to ensure the safe operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of equipment.

SEMI S2’s inaugural publication was completed in 1991 when a core group of safety personnel representing end-users and equipment manufacturers developed a document to harmonize safety requirements among end-users. The goal was to create a common set of requirements that would eliminate the need for manufacturers to meet the “Intel Spec” and the “IBM Spec” and the “Motorola Spec” and the “AMD Spec,” etc.

Shortly after, work began to expand and refine the requirements in SEMI S2-91. ?New, more comprehensive documents slowly gained recognition among chip makers and equipment manufacturers alike to become “the” industry standard for equipment safety requirements. Today, the SEMI S2-0821 guideline has 28 sections, 5 appendices, and 18 related information sections. In addition to the SEMI S2 guidelines, SEMI S6-0618 specifies safety guidelines for the ventilation systems required for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Intertek’s traditional and advanced industrial hygiene monitoring techniques are employed to test the ability of exhausted enclosures to contain hazardous process vapors and gases, ensuring concentrations remain below stringent occupational exposure limits. These hazardous releases can occur during normal production, equipment maintenance, or system failures.

Intertek’s traditional industrial hygiene monitoring assesses the actual chemicals released during the manufacturing process. For chemicals that pose significant health risks, advanced methods like tracer gas analysis are used. This method employs a known concentration of a surrogate gas as a stand-in for the hazardous chemical. Grab air samples are collected and analyzed using an electron capture gas chromatograph (GC), and the measured values are translated into an equivalent release concentration (ERC) of the process gases, which are then compared to occupational exposure limits set by government agencies and by the SEMI industry.

The results from these tests help evaluate the effects of ventilation rates, leak points, and airflow patterns within the enclosure. These insights can justify lowering exhaust ventilation rates to decrease energy costs and provide guidance for redesigning enclosures to improve containment abilities.

Often, customers might stipulate in their contracts the need for adherence to SEMI S2 and S6 guidelines and other SEMI safety guidelines and certain local governing bodies utilize elements of the SEMI S2 guidelines to verify that equipment complies with electrical and fire safety standards.

Intertek offers comprehensive SEMI S2 industrial hygiene support, compliance assessments and certification services, helping manufacturers ensure their equipment meets the stringent EHS standards, enhancing safety, efficiency, and market acceptance and providing confidence and assurance to manufacturers and stakeholders throughout every production stage.

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To learn more about how Intertek can support semiconductor manufacturing, please visit our semiconductor equipment testing and certification and industrial hygiene services pages.