The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed advanced gas flow measurement standards critical for semiconductor manufacturing. These standards ensure accurate and reproducible gas flow measurements for various processes like deposition, etching, and doping. Mass flow controllers (MFCs) are essential for regulating gas flow, with performance requirements becoming increasingly stringent.
NIST’s gas flow measurement capabilities include PVTt standards with <0.025% uncertainty and rate-of-rise gas flow methods enabling measurements down to 0.1 cm³/min. These capabilities have proven effective through numerous interlaboratory comparisons and serve as the foundation for flow meter traceability and uncertainty. NIST collaborates with semiconductor manufacturers and end users to advance flow meter research, applying validated physical models to reduce uncertainty in MFCs for new, potentially toxic gases. The development of these models requires accurate thermophysical properties, supported by the NIST REFPROP computer program and extensive thermal fluid property measurements. The Fluid Metrology Group, Sensor Science Division, Thermophysical Properties of Fluids Group, and others in the Physical Measurement Laboratory provide comprehensive gas flow measurement solutions and research for the semiconductor industry, ensuring accurate flow measurement capabilities for current and future manufacturing needs. Source: https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/flow-metering-and-properties-semiconductor-process-gases
Keywords: flow measurement, gas flow, uncertainty
