Semi-Conductor Industry
Chemical first aid for semiconductor fabrication, clean rooms and wafer processing
Semiconductors are the foundation of modern electronics. These crystalline or amorphous materials — most commonly silicon — conduct electricity under specific conditions determined by the careful introduction of impurities, a process known as doping. The precise control of how a crystal carries electrical current underpins the operation of every microchip, processor, and electronic circuit in daily use. It is a high-technology industry, predominantly manufactured in clean room environments with strict contamination controls — but those controls protect the product, not always the worker, from the serious chemical hazards present throughout the fabrication process.
Semiconductor chemistry is built around two primary approaches: solvent-based degreasing and cleaning using isopropanol, trichloroethylene, acetone, and other alcohols; and acid/base reaction chemistry to oxidise, etch, and clean silicon wafers and component surfaces. Alkalis are used to oxidise the semiconductor material; acids remove oxides and unwanted surface layers. The chemicals involved include hydrogen peroxide, ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, orthophosphoric acid, and hydrochloric acid — a demanding combination of highly corrosive substances used in close proximity in clean room conditions.
The most serious chemical hazard in semiconductor fabrication is hydrofluoric acid. HF is used because of its unique ability to dissolve silicon oxide — a property that makes it indispensable for wafer etching and oxide removal. Mixtures of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid are commonly used to engrave silica. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), used in photolithographic etching, is both highly alkaline and systemically toxic — a compound whose hazard profile requires specific first aid consideration. All of these substances carry a risk that goes well beyond surface burns: fluoride compounds diffuse into tissue and disrupt calcium metabolism, creating the potential for fatal cardiac arrhythmia from exposures that may initially appear minor.
While the primary production areas in semiconductor fabrication typically use these chemicals in closed process lines with limited direct splash risk, the activities that carry the highest exposure risk are precisely those that occur most frequently: chemical storage and handling, decanting from bulk to process vessels, maintenance of process equipment, and quality testing in analytical laboratory environments. These activities take workers out of the closed-line protection and into direct contact with the chemicals at their most concentrated.
Diphoterine® provides active decontamination across the full range of semiconductor processing chemicals — sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and the complete range of solvents and acid/base process chemicals — in a single portable format suitable for clean room environments and laboratory settings. For hydrofluoric acid and HF-containing process chemicals, Hexafluorine® is the dedicated Prevor decontaminant, used as part of a specific HF response protocol that must include calcium gluconate gel and trained first responders.
Chemicals of note in this industry:
Hydrofluoric Acid (requires Hexafluorine®), Nitric Acid, Sulphuric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid, Orthophosphoric Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrogen Peroxide, TMAH, Isopropanol, Trichloroethylene, Acetone.
COSHH and compliance
Semiconductor COSHH risk assessments must explicitly address the HF and fluoride compound hazards in wafer processing, and must ensure adequate decontamination provision at chemical storage, decanting, maintenance, and laboratory testing locations. Diphoterine® systems conform with EN15154 Parts 3 and 4 — the European Standards for Emergency Eye and Skin Decontamination Equipment.
Contact DipHex on 01622 851000 or at enquiries@diphex.com to discuss chemical first aid provision for your semiconductor facility.