Semiconductors
In the world of the semiconductor industry, size always matters. Integral to everything from processors found inside smartphones or computers to memory chips and image sensors, the use of semiconductor chips or integrated-circuits is now spreading outside the digital world. With every new application and end-user expectations for more performances come ever-greater challenges to produce smaller and more cost-efficient semiconductor chips. Manufacturers can rely on Air Liquide to allow them to develop their technical road map.
Air Liquide accompanies semiconductor manufacturers, delivering the ultra-high purity carrier gases needed to keep their manufacturing processes clean and stable over time. We also supply the specialty and advanced electronics materials (also called precursor molecules) to produce the semiconductor chips, and provide the equipment and services for the safe and optimum analysing handling and distribution of our products.
Our ALOHA™ and Voltaix™ product lines are designed for the most sensitive stage of the microchip manufacturing process, with the nano-scale transistors industrialization. For each new generation of semiconductors, Air Liquide invents and produces electronics advanced materials with specific chemical, thermal, physical and high-purity properties for the semiconductor industry.
We are also partnering with leading customers and technology centers of excellence to conceive new molecules like our enScribe™ family of products for new etching applications and material that respond to emerging semiconductor industry technology challenges.
We provide core capabilities that cover all major stages of semiconductor production, including:
Carrier Gases (generated on-site or delivered in bulk) including nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, helium and argon
Electronics advanced materials for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD)
Electronics specialty materials such as silane or halogen gases that can be supplied in large containers
Analytical services to improve our customers’ process and production yields
Total Gas and chemical management to ensure the safe, reliable, and cost-effective management of the gases and chemicals needed on a daily basis in the production of electronics materials.
Equipment & Installations to offer the right equipment, uncompromised safety, best-in-class reliability, and greater all-round control.
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Flat panel displays
The need to continuously improve the user experience creates demand for a new generation of displays that are cheaper, thinner, lighter, more energy-efficient, flexible and higher in resolution. Already, advances in display technology have enabled the creation of curved television sets or flexible screens that offer very deep contrast and smart-phones that run twice as long.
100% of flat panel display production capacity is shared between Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China and Singapore. Screens are produced in semiconductor-like fabrication plants, also called fabs, which require about 20 electronics specialty materials (also called precursor molecules) in very large volumes.
Air Liquide supports the needs of these manufacturers for producing next-generation displays and continues to invest in large high purity nitrogen on-site gas production units to accompany their rapid growth over the long term.
Air Liquide is partnering with the photovoltaic industry to innovate and create new materials.
Photovoltaics
As the world turns to renewables, solar photovoltaic system installation has been steadily increasing. The global solar photovoltaic end-market has maintained double-digit growth in certain geographies, sometimes with various financial supports from governments. After a long period of evolution, solar photovoltaic manufacturing has split into two main fields: crystalline silicon (c-Si) with 95% of the global production, and thin film (TF) solar.
To provide more affordable solar energy, the entire photovoltaic supply chain is in need of new materials and technologies that drive panel performance up and costs down.
Since investing in monosilane production in Japan for the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries in 1987, we have been committed to accompanying the industry towards sustainability, profitability and growth. Our recent investment in a crystalline silicon solar cells demonstration and pilot production line, extensive R&D and academic collaborations, and innovative product offerings, are just some examples of our work in the field.
As the worldwide leader in gas supply to the photovoltaic industry, Air Liquide is able to respond promptly with the right solution for technology problems and, most important of all, create value for its customers.
On-site gas generation
Air Liquide provides on-site gas production units for various gases with best-in-class safety, reliability, flexibility and total cost of operation.
On-site production enables very large flow-rates. As an alternative to supply by trucks from Air Liquide sites, an on-site gas production unit is environmentally friendly, reduces carbon footprint and saves transportation cost. Such production units can be located on the customer premises so called “on-site” or on Air Liquide premises with gases supplied through a pipeline directly to the customer Fab. Depending on the size, on-site units are working independently and can be remote controlled or operated by Air Liquide employees.
Air Liquide’s on-site production solutions include:
Compact nitrogen on-site units (also called APSA)
Large nitrogen on-site units (also called TCN)
Oxygen on-site units (also called UPOX)
Hydrogen on-site units
Bulk gases supply solutions
Electronics industry manufacturers rely on high purity gases to ensure the extreme cleanliness they need in their manufacturing processes, all with an unwavering reliability in supply.
Oxygen, nitrogen and argon are produced and liquefied in air separation units. These products are stored at the production facility and then delivered directly to customers in insulated cryogenic tankers.
Hydrogen is produced in large capacity units. It is stored and delivered either as a compressed gas or in liquid in cryogenic containers.
Bulk (mainly under liquid cryogenic form) installations consist of:
One or more storage tanks
Vaporizers to transform cryogenic liquid to gas using heat sources such as ambient air, water or steam
Pressure regulation equipment
Electronics advanced materials
Today’s electronics industry demands materials that enable technologies which improve connectivity, computing power and energy consumption. We offer a complete range of electronics advanced materials (also called precursor molecules).
Air Liquide is the industry leader in advanced thin-film materials, offering the ALOHA™ and Voltaix™ product lines as part of our material portfolio. The 2013 acquisition of Voltaix™, the recognized world leader in silicon, germanium and boron chemistries, has bolstered our positioning. We have extended our range of advanced precursors, strengthened our relations with key customers and partners, and created new synergies in the research and industrialization of electronics advanced materials.
Our materials cover a broad range of advanced deposition processes, ranging from low-k to high-k and metals to barrier films. These products come in a comprehensive package that includes dedicated OEM-qualified delivery systems, ultra-high purity canisters, and extremely tight specifications, backed by world-class Air Liquide affiliates in nano-scale analysis (Balazs™ NanoAnalysis and Toshiba Nanoanalysis).
Air Liquide’s global capabilities include 9 Advanced Materials Centers (AMCs) where we produce, package and certify advanced electronics materials ensuring safety of supply and matching quality expectations of our most demanding customers.
Electronics specialty materials
Manufacturers of semiconductors, photovoltaic cells and flat panel displays require reliable supplies of high-purity process gases and chemicals, also called electronics specialty materials.
Forming very thin layers of various elements (such as silicon or metals) require acute control over the depositing and structuring of these elements. Electronics specialty materials provided by Air Liquide can achieve this at the level of just a few atoms. Silicon, for example, the most common material found in electronics devices, is formed using monosilane as a volatile silicon precursor.
Our capabilities include 9 Electronics Materials Centers (EMCs) worldwide where Air Liquide produces, packages and certifies electronics specialty materials ensuring safety of supply and matching quality expectations of most demanding electronics customers. We are strategically located in electronics hubs including South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, the USA, France and Germany.
Analytical services
The process for manufacturing of electronic components (e.g. semiconductor chips, photovoltaic cells) includes anywhere from 20 to 250 steps. These process steps must be performed in a controlled environment using high quality materials.
From sampling and measuring to characterization and more, Air Liquide’s world-class analytical services are key in helping electronics manufacturers control, monitor and improve their Fab throughput, and assure the quality of electronics devices. We offer comprehensive analytical services through our Balazs™ NanoAnalysis and Toshiba Nanoanalysis subsidiaries.
These services ensure the purity of starting materials, consumables, process tool components, cleanroom environment and clean manufacturing procedures meet the requirement to manufacture high-technology products. Our expertise extends to contamination problem solving to trace back any detected contamination to the root source. Our goal is to help customers improve their yield and to develop and implement faster next generation technologies.
Total Gas and chemical management
At our customers’ site and by their side, 900 Air Liquide specialists are fully committed to ensuring the safe, reliable, and cost-effective management of the gases and chemicals needed on a daily basis in the production of electronics materials.
This generates better production yields and Fab throughputs.
Our specialists provide value-added services in many fields. They have a safety record, operational efficiency and reputation for creating value that has in turn made Air Liquide the industry benchmark and worldwide leader in Total Gas and Chemical Management (TGCM) services for the electronics industry.
Equipment & Installations
Manufacturers in the electronics industry need premium equipment and installations to support their processes and assure the proper supply, storage, application and use of electronic materials, also called precursor molecules.
Air Liquide has expertise providing the delivery systems, gas cabinets, valve manifold boxes, chemical and slurry blend and dispense systems, as well as exhaust treatment systems, to assure that customer processes are safe, clean and efficient.
We supply and install gas and chemical dispense equipment for new manufacturing facilities, and support the turnkey installation of ultrapure gas and chemical distribution networks. We also provide central control and monitoring systems.
To date, we have supplied and installed over 10,000 gas cabinets, 10,000 chemical management systems, 500 precursor delivery systems, 100 bulk cryogenic purifiers and 50 online continuous quality control systems around the world.
