Develop a facility-level abatement system for the destruction of greenhouse gas from semiconductor fab exhaust

BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

Currently, greenhouse gas abatement (particularly F-GHGs) in semiconductor fabs is performed at the point-of-use level with cabinet-sized abatement systems for each tool. This necessitates a large area which also requires utilities to maintain a subfab environment suitable to house these point-of-use abatement systems. This is a capital-intensive solution and imposes a limitation on older fabs through space and utility constraints when they are trying to upgrade their level of greenhouse gas abatement.

To enable Global Foundries to reduce its GHG emissions, we are therefore looking for solutions that can provide us with a facility-level abatement system for the destruction of greenhouse gases from semiconductor fab exhaust.

Solutions we are not interested in include:

• Point-of-use level abatement systems requiring subfab space or targeted tool selection for abatement system deployment
• Systems requiring the introduction of new specialty gases
• Systems generating solid non-renewable waste

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS / PERFORMANCE CRITERIA:

GF will be evaluating the solution providers on a case-by-case basis. Generally speaking, we will be looking at the following requirements and criteria:

Technical Requirements:

• Sized for 200,000 CMH of incoming flow or more
• Preferably scalable to 1,000,000 CMH as needed
• Outdoor location
• Above 90% destruction of F-GHGs common in semiconductor fabs
• Automated operations requiring no more manpower beyond a local control room
• Tolerant of low levels of corrosive gases, water vapour, and particulates
• Maintain 100% capacity regardless of system maintenance activities
• Continuous real-time exhaust monitoring
• If planned for siting on industrial building roofs, the system will also need to be able to treat common air effluents to replace the existing water-based air scrubbers to meet the requirements of the EPM (Air Impurities) Regulations
• If planned for ground-level siting, the system will need to include mechanical air movers to draw the exhaust gas to be treated from the outlets of existing water-based air scrubbers to the location of the new greenhouse gas abatement system

Relevant standards:

• For greenhouse gas abatement validation testing: US EPA's “Protocol for Measuring Destruction or Removal Efficiency (DRE) of Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Abatement Equipment in Electronics Manufacturing”

Product/solution development stages:

• GF will be evaluating solutions on a case-by-case basis.

COST TARGET

Generally speaking, we would be looking at a maximum total expenditure of USD $10 million including labour, testing and commissioning, and installation of any needed utilities.

TIMEFRAME FOR DEVELOPMENT

Phase 1: PoC/Pilot phase 2-4 months

Phase 2: Commercial roll-out to be determined on a case-by-case basis

Target project completion preferably commissioned by end-2025.

With GF: either 1 unit of 1,000,000 CMH or 5 units of 200,000 CMH Every semiconductor fab in the world could be a potential customer as well.

RESOURCES

GF is willing to support by:

1. Providing relevant data, samples and possibly test/pilot sites

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

If proposed solution prove their efficacy, GF is willing to work together with solution provider to jointly roll out globally

Contact / source: Enterprise Singapore Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge - Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge 2022 (innovation-challenge.sg)