The semiconductor supply chain in an era of low GWP and/or PFAS-free gas chemistries

It is estimated that the current costs to remove and destroy the total PFAS mass released annually into the environment would likely exceed the global GDP of 106 trillion USD. As such, new net-zero emission goals and overall phase-out targets for PFAS materials have been announced and are underway. The American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, passed by Congress in 2020, grants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the authority to phase down the production and consumption of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which include some of the highest global warming potential PFAS etch gas chemistries used in the semiconductor industry. Research and development to demonstrate alternative solutions to HFCs is underway by various universities and research consortia as highlighted by the MAPT roadmap. In this article, we summarize ongoing global regulatory changes which impact the semiconductor industry and highlight the challenges in quantifying the vast amounts of materials which qualify as PFAS. We will also review efforts underway to begin exploring (1) process optimization to minimize PFAS and high global-warming potential FC/HFC gas usage, (2) alternative low GWP or PFAS-free material exploration and (3) capture/recovery/abatement opportunities to avoid release of these materials after use. The challenge throughout will be to satisfy all process metrics for success and bring them towards full scale adoption industry wide and verify that the net addition of these materials ultimately improves sustainability.