Vacuum pump emission abatement of residual SDS(R) source gas

The abatement of residual hydride and acid gases in the effluent from an ion implanter is a new concern for many facility, equipment, and process engineers, especially those who have converted from solid dopant to SDS gas sources. The abatement requirements of ion implanters are unlike those of other wafer fabrication process tools. For example, the volumetric flow rate from the implanter can be as much as five times that of CVD or etch process tools. Although high enough to be considered hazardous, the concentration of toxic gas in the implanter´s effluent is generally much lower than that of other process tools. The proper choice of abatement equipment must address these and other criteria relating to the operation of an ion implanter. This paper provides a review of the three fundamental abatement techniques: water scrubbing; thermal oxidation; and dry chemical scrubbing. Each technique is described in relation to its application for treating the ion implanter´s effluent. Factors such as performance, configuration, and operating cost are presented and compared. The paper serves as a guideline for the proper selection of abatement equipment for ion implanters