Implementation of a universal exhaust solution for implanter fire prevention

In ion implanters, toxic and pyrophoric vapors pumped from the source region can leave deposits along the inner walls of the non-conductive pipe across the high voltage gap. The subsequent distortion in the electrical field across this gap can result in arcing across the high voltage gap that may ignite some of this residue. The ignition of this residue causes exhaust fires which result in possible damage to the ion implanter, the exhaust system, and the wafer fab itself. In August 1995, Texas Instruments sponsored a workshop with SEMATECH, Applied Materials, Eaten Corporation, and Varian Associates to determine a hardware-based universal solution to this problem. This report describes the objectives of the Implant Exhaust Workshop, the universal solution agreed to by the implanter manufacturers, and the implementation of these systems as a requirement on all new ion implanters purchased by Texas Instruments