Arsenic Exposure during Preventive Maintenance of an Ion Implanter in a Semiconductor Manufacturing Factory

Abstract

Workers in the semiconductor fabrication process may be exposed to higher levels of hazardous materials, such as arsenic, during preventive maintenance (PM) tasks than during the regular operation of the fabrication process. This study investigates the exposure to arsenic and other metals during PM tasks in the ion implantation process. Airborne arsenic samples and bulk samples were obtained during various ion implanter PM tasks in a semiconductor fabrication factory. The arithmetic mean (AM) and standard deviation (SD) of airborne arsenic in personal samples were 0.64 µg m -3 ± 0.92 µg m -3 (n = 9), and the highest level was 2.39 µg m -3 during medium-current ion implanter PM tasks. For area samples, the AM and SD were 0.42 µg m -3 ± 0.69 µg m -3 (n = 5) and the highest level was 1.79 µg m -3 during medium-current ion implanter PM tasks. Arsenic was also found in the bulk samples of debris produced during PM tasks. Other metals (Ag, Al, Cu, Pb, Cr, Sn, Mn, Ti, Fe, and W) were found, but at low levels, prompting few health concerns compared with those of arsenic. This study found that PM workers were exposed to airborne arsenic levels that differed significantly according to the type of ion implanter used.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Hazardous Chemical Exposure Control System at a Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in South Korea

“…In this study, we also confirmed arsenic exposure possibility of workers during preventive maintenance of ion implanters. The more detailed information can be found from another article published [ 20 ].…”

Evaluation of the Effect of an Exhaust Reduction System in Fire Stations

“…Nanoparticles less than 100 nm in diameter are emerging, and the occupational health issues associated with these are unknown. The investigation of exposure to nanoparticles is actively performed in many occupational settings, such as engineered nanoparticle manufacturing workplaces, welding, 3D printing, and even the semiconductor industry [24][25][26]. Figure 3g shows that the particles shown in Figure 3f consisted of carbon and oxygen, as analyzed using EDS.…”

Evaluation of Potential Occupational Exposure and Release of Nanoparticles in Semiconductor-Manufacturing Environments

“…The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has set threshold limit values (TLVs). In nearly all cases, the regulations are mass-based and do not differentiate between sizes of airborne particles or consider the unique toxicity considerations for nanoparticles due to their small size, high surface area, and unique physicochemical properties [20,21]. To date, only ultrafine titanium dioxide and carbon nanotubes have a size-resolved exposure limit [22,23].…”