SBIR PHASE I: On-Site Silane Gas Generator for Semiconductor Manufacturing

这个小企业创新研究的第一期项目是通过调查用现场气体发生器生产硅烷的可行性来消除硅烷气瓶的危害。发生器将在低压（20-40 psig）下按需生产硅烷，并具有低保持量（2升）。发生器将比硅烷瓶（1250 psig，每瓶3500升存储容量）安全得多，并且消除了存储大量钢瓶的需要。半导体制造需要硅、二氧化硅和氮化硅层的沉积。这些步骤适用于各种VLSI电路，存储芯片，平板有源矩阵显示器，复印机鼓和大面积太阳能电池等产品。所有这些过程都需要硅烷气体（SiH4）。硅烷在空气中自燃，毒性暴露极限为0.5 ppm，与氯等卤素发生爆炸性反应。硅烷是半导体工业中使用的体积最大的热敏气体。这些因素使得硅烷在半导体制造设施中的使用变得危险，在这些设施中，大量硅烷被储存在数百个高压压缩气瓶中。这些钢瓶是固有的危险来源，因为在运输，储存和处理过程中可能会释放气体。由于硅烷瓶泄漏而疏散半导体设备会中断生产，而且成本非常昂贵。半导体公司在防止和控制硅烷气瓶可能泄漏上花费了大量资金。这些支出增加了制造成本，降低了美国半导体公司的竞争地位。大型半导体制造公司将广泛购买现场使用点硅烷气体发生器，以消除运输和使用硅烷气瓶的环境责任。* * *

*** 9660037 Ayres This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is to eliminate the hazards of silane cylinders by investigating the feasibility of producing silane with an on-site gas generator. The generator will produce silane on-demand at low pressure ( 20-40 psig), and with low hold-up volume (2 liters). The generator will be much safer than cylinder silane (1250 psig, 3500 liters storage volume per cylinder) and eliminate the need for storage of large numbers of cylinders. Semiconductor manufacturing requires the deposition of silicon, silicon dioxide, and silicon nitride layers. These steps are applied to products as diverse VLSI circuits, memory chips, flat panel active matrix displays, photocopier drums, and large area solar cells. All of these processes require silane gas (SiH4). Silane is spontaneously flammable in air, has a toxicity exposure limit of 0.5 ppm, and explosively reacts with halogens such as chlorine. Silane is the largest volume pyrophoric gas used by the semiconductor industry. These factors make silane use dangerous in semiconductor fabrication facilities where large quantities are stored in hundreds of high pressure compressed gas cylinders. These cylinders are inherent sources of danger because of the possibility of gas release during transportation, storage, and handling. Evacuating a semiconductor facility due to a silane cylinder leak disrupts production and is very expensive. Semiconductor companies expend significant amounts on preventing and containing possible leaks from silane cylinders. These expenditures add to manufacturing costs, and decrease the competitive position of U.S. semiconductor companies. An on-site, point-of-use silane gas generator would be widely purchased by major semiconductor manufacturing companies to eliminate the environmental liability of transporting and using silane gas cylinders. ***