The Ultimate Clean Room
Ultra-precision semiconductor valves produced in a class 1 clean room
Even though we would love to breathe in the clean air of a forest, about 30 l of that air contain 10,000 to 100,000 fine particles with a size up to 0.0005 mm.
On the other hand, Fujikin boasts a clean room with the world's highest level of cleanliness (class 1), in which up to just 1 fine particle with a size up to 0.0001 mm will be contained in the same 30 l of air. It is an incomparable level of cleanliness. So why do we require such a clean environment?
If even just one fine particle sticks to a chip, it will become defective. Extreme cleanliness is therefore also required for manufacturing equipment!
In its class 1 clean room, Fujikin manufactures valve equipment for use in the production of semiconductors. This equipment is used to control miniscule amounts of gas for forming thin membranes on top of semiconductor chips and also during the etching process.
Semiconductors are utilized in many fields, from computers and phones to home appliances and even vehicles and medical equipment. They are now a vital part our lives. Such widespread use supports the rapid development of technology. The number of elements in a semiconductor chip has rapidly increased while the width of a circuit is now 5,000 times smaller than a strand of hair – or even smaller than a virus.
For this reason, if even a microscopic particle of dust or dirt adheres during the formation of the element or circuit, the chip will be defective. In response, high-performance semiconductors are manufactured in the highest level clean rooms with equipment that also requires an extreme level of cleanliness.
About 40 years ago in 1976, Fujikin introduced the first clean room to the industry. This was for the manufacturing of valves used in space rockets.
This led to valves being developed for semiconductor production, and clean rooms were built for the delicate process of manufacturing semiconductors. In 1989, a complete class 1 clean room was introduced for the first time. This was a revolutionary event not just for the valve industry, but also a first for Japan.
Currently, there are a total of 10 clean rooms in Japan and four of those meet the cleanliness requirements for a class 1 clean room.
Raising the level of cleanliness does not stop with clean rooms. Fujikin was one of the first in the industry to develop a direct diaphragm valve with a UP (Ultra Pure) polishing process, which prevents fine particles from sticking to the gas passage and guards against the generation of fine particles during the opening and closing of the valve.
Fujikin's systemization of ultra-precision valves and flow rate controllers with the IGS Integrated Gas Supply System was recognized by the Prime Minister of Japan and awarded the 1st Monodzukuri Grand Award of Excellence. Fujikin boasts a market share of 65% in Japan and 40% worldwide for its valve equipment used in semiconductor production created in the world's cleanest environment.
Fujikin's valve equipment used for semiconductor production makes possible such a delicate manufacturing process and is created in a clean environment that is impossible to imagine in our everyday lives. You may not directly see it with your eyes, but that advanced technology is being utilized for the semiconductors in the computers and phones you see now.
