FOUP Furnace N2 Purge System

Legacy of Technology Nodes

There was once a time in the industry where purge systems for FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pod) were not a typical consideration. The need for these solutions serves as a great reminder of how far the industry has come along in terms of technical precision and the continuously expanding scale of microtechnology. Above all it reflects the need for stronger filtration, expanded environment control, and streamline capabilities.

The FOUP Dilemma

While FOUP containers address the need for streamline capabilities during wafer processing, they also pose some liability depending on their design. Due to the nature of FOUP containers material, polymers can attract AMCs (Airborne Molecular Contaminants). If the polymers in the containers retain the AMCs, they pose the risk of passing on these contaminants to subsequent wafers. Failure to solve this contamination in turn will certainly affect manufacturing yield. Periodically purging FOUPs with nitrogen can help protect these wafers from AMC and other undesirable factors.

Changes in Microenvironment with Nitrogen Purging

  • Graph showing influence of N2 purge on fluoride.
    Ion chromatography results 0.5 h. after etching, 1 h with nitrogen purging, and 3 h with nitrogen purging for FOUPs storing 12 wafers. Figure 1-1
  • Graph showing decrease in humidity following N2 purging
    Decreased humidity after nitrogen purging. Figure 1-2

Being an inert gas, nitrogen does not easily react with most other substances, helping avoid the risk of combustion. Nitrogen purging helps eliminate oxygen, excess moisture, and pushes out unwanted contaminants. This helps reduce several factors negatively affecting manufacturing yield.

In the figures above, nitrogen purging shows reduced residual process gasses and decreased moisture after continuous application. 

Retrofitting Stage in Furnace FOUP Stocker

We offer a retrofitting solution for the stages in furnace FOUP stockers. This service includes updating the existing stages with the necessary components for nitrogen purging.

Compatibility

FOUP furnace N2 purging retrofitting services are currently available for TEL (Tokyo Electron) and KE (Kokusai Electric) furnace equipment. If there’s specific model number in mind, please reach out for further inquiries.

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