Technological progress in several high tech industries is enabled, if not driven by the ability to operate at ever smaller scale. This introduces new challenges in the metrological realm. Airborne molecular contamination (AMC) is chemical contamination, in the form of vapours or aerosols, that has adverse effects on products, processes or instruments. Sectors for which the control of AMC is crucial include semiconductor, nanotechnology, photovoltaic and high brightness and organic LED. In 2013, a new European project was set up to enhance the measurement capabilities for airborne molecular contamination.
The European semiconductor industry was ranked as the most R&D intensive industry sector by the European Commission in 2011.1 This sector supports around 110,000 jobs directly and up to 500,000 jobs indirectly in Europe, operating in a worldwide market valued in excess of €215bn in 2011.2 In such a high value business, where product yield directly affects the profitability of the industry, even a small change in the yield can lead to multi-million euro savings.
Since AMC is one of the major components that affect product yield, and will do so even more in the future, the demand for practical AMC monitoring devices will be high. A more effective implementation of AMC monitoring by European industry would provide a competitive advantage.
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Cleanroom Technology.
Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.