Power quality issues in the semiconductor manufacturing industry
Semiconductors are the core of many industrial equipment and are widely used in core fields such as computers, communications, consumer electronics, automobiles, industry/medical, military/government, etc. Semiconductor manufacturing plants have many key equipment, use power electronic devices on a large scale, and have many complex process steps. The stable and reliable operation and maintenance of their power supply and distribution systems is not only the basic guarantee for their safe production but also related to product quality and smooth production progress.
Where do harmonics in semiconductor manufacturing come from?
Single crystal furnaces, polycrystalline furnaces, IC test benches, PLC-controlled manipulators, wafer machines for chip manufacturing, or frequency-controlled semiconductor machines in semiconductor manufacturing production equipment will generate many harmonics. Most single-crystal furnaces use medium-frequency induction power heating. The main circuit of the medium-frequency power supply includes rectification and inverter circuits. The harmonics generated are mainly 5th, 7th, 11th, and 13th, and the harmonic current distortion rate is usually more than 30%, which is very high.
Pain points of harmonics in semiconductor manufacturing
The semiconductor manufacturing industry is a precision manufacturing industry with high capital and technology intensiveness. The production process requires high environmental cleanliness, large-scale use of electronic devices and integrated circuits, and a relatively high degree of automation. There are many key equipments, many workstations, and complex process steps in integrated circuit chip manufacturing. In addition to the power supply and distribution system, a transmission system, ultrapure water purification system, vacuum system, air cooling system, and special gas distribution system are also required to ensure the smooth implementation of the production process and the safe operation of key equipment. Since the production conditions of the entire factory are ultimately achieved through power supply, semiconductor chip manufacturing has particularly high requirements for power supply quality.
Single crystal furnaces and other equipment generate many harmonics, which will not only cause the machine equipment itself to break, but the harmonic current flowing back into the power grid will also cause heating of other circuits, malfunction of electronic switches, unstable power supply voltage, and even cause production line shutdown and scrapping of semi-finished products, causing huge losses.
Semiconductor Manufacturing Harmonic Control Solution
Xixing Technology's EasyPQ-APF series active power filters can control 2nd-50th harmonics, and the harmonic filtering rate of low-order harmonics (harmonics lower than 13th order) can reach more than 95%. The semiconductor manufacturing industry generates many harmonics, mainly 5th, 7th, 11th, and 13th. Xixing Technology's EasyPQ-APF series active filters can comprehensively control these harmonics, greatly improving the power quality of the distribution system and ensuring power use and production safety.
The semiconductor manufacturing industry usually adopts a centralized filtering solution, installing APF active filters on the power mains of the distribution system.
