Assessment of a FOUP conditioning equipment for advanced semiconductor application

The effectiveness of a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) conditioning test bench was tested with respect to the reduction of outgassing materials from FOUP materials and cleanroom compatibility. The equipment uses vacuum and heat to reduce volatile organic compounds from construction material and wafers. Five different analysis methods were used to asses the performance of the equipment with respect to organic, ionic and metal contamination. The experiments showed that the use of heat and vacuum has a positive effect on the organic contamination from FOUPs, and that the equipment is suitable for semiconductor applications in cleanroom environments.