16 July 2015

TÜV Rheinland expands EHS certification services to III-Vs

Exhibiting in booth #1122 at SEMICON West 2015 in San Francisco, CA, USA (13-16 July), independent full-service testing, inspection and certification company TÜV Rheinland has announced the expansion of its services to include environmental, health & safety testing and certification of group III-V compounds in semiconductor manufacturing environments.

"Over the years, SEMICON has become our best opportunity to meet with current and potential clients, and to truly absorb the latest developments in the semiconductor industry," says Jonathan Kotrba, business field director, commercial of TÜV Rheinland. "This space changes so quickly, and new discoveries can alter manufacturing and safety requirements," he adds. "We participate each year to be able to provide our clients with the absolute latest in safety and compliance certification services."

Assessing hazardous compounds

TÜV says that, because silicon transistor scaling appears to be reaching its limits under current technology, attention is turning to the group III–V compound family of materials including gallium arsenide (GaAs), aluminum arsenide (AlAs), indium arsenide (InAs), and indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs).

When arsenic, phosphide and other group III-V materials are bound or embedded in a solid wafer, they do not pose an inhalation risk. However, if evaporated during processing (such as wafer heating, etch, or laser ablation), arsine gas or arsenic compounds may be driven off the wafer and are more likely to affect people. Arsenic-containing compounds may deposit on unprotected clothes or cleanroom garments. If they are not properly segregated, then they can migrate within the facility and even be brought home on employees' clothing.

TÜV Rheinland can test to SEMI S2 and S8 standards to assess potential health risks accompanying semiconductor manufacturing, and can certify an OEM in compliance with national standards, or can develop an action plan to help bring a facility up to standard so that there are no certification barriers to market.

In-situ EMC testing 

TÜV notes that there are situations when heavy equipment cannot be moved to an offsite lab even with its electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing facilities located throughout North America. For these clients, TÜV Rheinland maintains a fleet of dedicated mobile labs with specialized equipment to test at a client's location. All test equipment is brought to the customer in climate-controlled box trucks owned by TÜV Rheinland (never a third-party shipping or trucking firm). In most instances, on-site testing takes no more than three days, from arrival to departure.

North American market

The US and Canadian governments have clearly defined regulations which products — especially electronics equipment — must satisfy before they can be approved for sale. TÜV Rheinland of North America is accredited as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) by the USA's OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and by the SCC (Standards Council of Canada).

The cTUVus certification mark issued by TÜV Rheinland tells both consumers and business partners that an OEM's products have been thoroughly tested and specifically certified to comply with the electrical and fire safety regulations. With a single cTUVus mark, customers can demonstrate compliance for both the US and Canadian markets.

Tags: TUV certification

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