Routine preventive maintenance for semiconductor fabrication systems includes flushing any residual liquids from each component installed on the process line thereby purging the entire system.
To accomplish this, an operator must turn off every pneumatically actuated valve from a centralized control panel that is often in a remote location. This common practice, however, has the potential to create a serious safety issue as it removes maintenance staff from the operating area, preventing them from ensuring that all chemicals were properly flushed.
Saint-Gobain’s Collaborative Service Solution
To best understand how Saint-Gobain could eliminate this safety pain point for its customer, the team traveled to the customer’s fabrication site to accurately assess the process line and determine the proper design solution. As a result of the visit, the following requirements were identified:
Adding manually actuated valves to the fab’s existing pneumatic operation; Using industry-trusted valves with a reputation for compatibility, reliability, and a wide range of sizes/flow coefficient (Cv); and Restricting manual operations to a specific operator if/when wanted.