Chemical-Resistant Coatings: A Critical Defense for Semiconductor Fabs
By TIM McDONOUGH, MARK WAFFORD and LAURA ADAMS-KEIE, Sherwin-Williams Protective Coatings
Semiconductor facilities routinely handle aggressive acids, solvents and cleaning agents, and corrosion is a persistent threat to equipment, structural steel, concrete, walls and floors. Left unchecked, it can damage assets, generate contaminants and cause costly downtime, write Tim McDonough and Mark Wafford, construction solutions executives, and Laura Adams-Keie, market segment manager for semiconductors, at Sherwin-Williams Protective Coatings.
The most successful corrosion-control programs start during facility design, with coating systems selected for expected chemical exposure, traffic loads, moisture, UV and ESD requirements. Surfaces in or near clean zones need low-outgassing coatings with low airborne molecular contamination potential, and resinous flooring must be matched to traffic and chemical exposure, in some cases with ESD-dissipative or reinforced systems.
The authors also cover waffle-slab and cheese-slab structures beneath raised floors and secondary containment, where vinyl esters and novolac epoxies meet the longest containment requirements. Engaging coating suppliers early in the specification process, they argue, protects operations from construction through the facility’s life cycle.
Click here to read the full article in the SEMICON West Show Daily.
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