What a fab consumes: water, power, gases and chemicals.
A fab is a factory with a metabolism. What flows in, and what must be treated on the way out, decide where it can be built and how reliably it runs.
In brief
- Ultrapure water rinses every wafer, many times over.
- Power must be stable around the clock; a dip can scrap lots in process.
- Gases and chemicals arrive at very high purity, by pipe, cylinder and tanker.
- Wastewater, exhaust and heat all need treating before they leave.
What goes in
- Ultrapure waterRinses every wafer, many times
- PowerStable, around the clock
- GasesBulk by pipe, specialty by cylinder
- ChemicalsAcids, solvents, slurries
- Wafers and materialsSubstrates, targets, resists
The fabruns all of it, every hour
What comes out
- Finished wafersTo sort, then assembly
- WastewaterTreated, much of it recycled
- ExhaustAbated before release
- HeatRemoved by chillers and cooling
Eight systems, eight skill sets
U-01
Ultrapure water
Purification plant, distribution loop, reclaim.
U-02
Power
Redundant supply, conditioning, backup for critical loads.
U-03
Bulk gases
Nitrogen and others by pipeline or on-site plant.
U-04
Specialty gases
Hazardous, high purity, in monitored cabinets.
U-05
Chemicals
Bulk delivery, blending and distribution to tools.
U-06
Exhaust and abatement
Point-of-use and central treatment.
U-07
Cooling
Chillers and process cooling water for tools.
U-08
Waste treatment
Wastewater and chemical waste, treated and recycled.
Two lessons from new sites
- Commission utilities before tools. Hook-up waits on utility points. A late water or gas system delays every tool behind it.
- Hire facilities technicians with the production crews. Utility alarms happen on night shifts too, and someone on shift must be able to read them.
For the suppliers behind these systems, see what to localise first. For the people, see talent & manpower.