Front opening unified pods (FOUP)

Important tool for storing semiconductor chips and an integral part of the cleanroom environment

Fabrication processes can involve hundreds of steps and take up to a few months to be completed. FOUPs must safely carry wafers from one tool to another while protecting them from defects and contamination. Sensirion’s products, owing to their small size, accuracy and high performance, can be easily integrated into wafer carrier systems to enhance their reliability and performance. So how can sensors help?

How our sensors make a difference

Precise environment control

FOUPs are purged and filled with nitrogen to provide a controlled environment in which wafers are stored. Other gases can also be injected for pre-treatment steps in finer structures (e.g GAA and 3 nm nodes)

Real-time monitoring

FOUPs continuously monitor parameters such as humidity, oxygen and AMCs (airborne molecular contaminants) to avoid particle deposition and oxidation on the surface of wafers

Safe transport and handling through automation

Automation ensures that the wafers reach the individual cleanroom tools safely. At the same time, the risks of incorrect handling are minimized. This ultimately increases throughput by optimizing the manufacturing processes.

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Why Sensirion should be part of your solution

Contact our sensor experts

Precision and cost saving

Controlling gas flow precisely inside the FOUP chamber allows to avoid damaging fine structures. It also reduces the use of nitrogen in excess during purge cycles, thus saving costs.

Integrating sensors in various spots of the FOUP chamber improves its performance and ensures homogeneous storage conditions.

Further improvements in semiconductor processes require data collected from a variety of sensors throughout the fab to implement yield learning and predictive models.