New Design of Hydride Sensors Supports Next Generation Digital and Green Technologies

The global semiconductor industry, and the emerging photovoltaic industry, which is rapidly developing in response to the pressure for carbon reduction in energy production, has seen hydride gas usage increase dramatically in the last five years. Hydride gases such as arsine, silane, phosphine, diborane and hydrogen selenide now play a critical part in semiconductor and photovoltaic material manufacturing, but their highly toxic, corrosive and explosive nature requires extensive safety precautions to ensure safe work environments and properly functioning processes.

The main gases used in the manufacturing processes all exhibit potentially life-threatening characteristics, even in relatively low concentrations. Their specific characteristics are shown in the table below. In addition, they are all extremely flammable with silane and diborane potentially explosive at room temperatures. Stringent monitoring for both life safety and plant protection reasons is therefore essential.

In addition to their lifethreatening properties, the hazardous nature of the gases is underlined by their inclusion in NFPA 704, a well-known standard maintained by the US-based NFPA, the National Fire Protection Association. It defines the "fire diamond" used by emergency personnel to quickly and easily identify the risks posed by nearby hazardous materials. The standard helps determine what specialty equipment should be used, which procedures should be followed and the precautions that should be taken during the initial stages of an emergency response.