Newly Formed Hydrogen Safety Task Force
By Kevin Nguyen, SEMI
Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas commonly used in semiconductor device manufacturing. However, if not handled properly, it can cause fires and explosions as it is a highly flammable gas.
Manufacturing facilities are having to deal with complex safety issues posed by reactive gases. As hydrogen is subject to strict usage and storage limitations, equipment suppliers and end users face increasing challenges due to requirements by various regulations and local authority jurisdictions around the world.
Led by Bert Planting (ASML), the Hydrogen Safety Task Force (TF) was approved by the EH&S North America Technical Committee Chapter. This TF was chartered to provide insight on hydrogen usage including:
- Safety requirements
- Flow chart on how to determine the Atmospheres Explosible (ATEX) zone
- Country specific interpretation
- Use of the IEC-EX (System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for use in Explosive Atmospheres) standards
- Requirement of countries requiring country specific components
Based on the discussion among TF members, the goal is to either write a new safety guideline or revise an existing SEMI Safety Guidelines. Major equipment suppliers, including ASML, Axcelis, KLA, Lam Research, and Tokyo Electron, have joined this critical effort. The TF plans to schedule its kickoff meeting via teleconference in the coming weeks. If you would like to participate in this TF, contact Kevin Nguyen at [email protected].
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For more information, please visit our main Web site and current events page. If you have any questions regarding SEMI Standards activities, please contact your local SEMI Standards staff.
Standards Watch
SEMI
www.semi.org
September 1, 2022