A recent report has shown that a semiconductor facility in Austin, Texas, owned by Samsung, leaked large quantities of industrial wastewater into nearby water sources. What environmental challenges do semiconductor facilities present, what was the result of the leak, and what does this mean for semiconductor devices looking forward?

What environmental challenges do semiconductor facilities face?

There are very few industries today that produce no environmental damage. Those who claim to do so are either ignoring the wider supply chain or cannot scale in the same way that most other industries do. For example, an organic farmer who only uses natural methods for food production may not be able to sustain this type of farming on a large scale due at a low cost due to the intensive nature of weeding, ensuring that all plants are fertilised, and constant attack from pests.

The semiconductor industry is no different, and the environmental damage caused by the manufacture of semiconductors can be widespread. The first factor to consider is that semiconductors use very rare elements that often require large mining operations, which disrupts the lives of those nearby and results in water pollution and the destruction of natural habitats. It can significantly increase the concentration of toxic compounds, such as mercury, lead, and arsenic (natural by-products of the mining industry).

The second factor is that the production of semiconductors requires substantial amounts of energy at each stage of the production process. For example, foundries that produce silicon wafers use large vats of molten silicon that must maintain their temperature precisely over weeks while crystals are pulled from the molten silicon. This is also the case during the various process steps such as imaging, etching, and sputtering.

The third factor is that the production of semiconductors requires the use of extremely harmful compounds. One such compound is hydrofluoric acid which is used to etch oxide layers on semiconductors. If leached into the environment, this acid can be devastating due to the ability for hydrofluoric acid to be absorbed into living tissue and then replace the calcium in bones, effectively dissolving bodies from the inside out.

Samsung facility found to have leaked wastewater into the environment

A recent enquiry into a Samsung logic production facility in Austin, Texas, has discovered that wastewater from the semiconductor foundry had leaked into the nearby environment.

To help protect infrastructure, the Samsung site has a storm pond whose primary function is to catch and gather excessive surface water during storms. As the water source into such storm ponds is from the local environment (roads, grasslands, and rain), it can be safely discharged into nearby rivers.

Under normal conditions, semiconductor production facilities clean and recycle as much wastewater as possible, and it allows for simpler recycling of the remaining wastewater while also reducing water bills. The wastewater resulting from this recycling stage can then be sent to facilities for further decontamination or discharged into sewers if deemed to be safe to do so.

However, in the case of Samsung, a leak in the plant (caused by a leak in a sump underneath flooring) could dump industrial waste into the storm pond. This leakage, which spanned for over 100 days, was able to find its way into nearby tributaries and may have resulted in short-term environmental damage. Over this period, it has been estimated that the total amount of industrial wastewater that found its way into the environment was 763,000 gallons.

What does this mean for semiconductor foundries looking forward?

It should be noted that the facility owned by Samsung reported the leak to environmental authorities after they had detected low pH levels in their storm pond and moved quickly to rectify the situation. Thus, Samsung can be guilty of poor maintenance of equipment and infrequent testing but should be commended for their forthcoming nature and reporting to the authorities.

Other semiconductor foundries can look towards Samsung, learn from their mistakes, and follow their lead in being open and honest. It is far too often that companies worldwide find ways to avoid regulation or outright breach it (VW emission scandal, anyone?). As much as many may disagree with environmental regulation, it is put in place for a reason.

The world needs semiconductors, and this need will only continue to grow. However, that does not justify increasing production at the cost of the environment. Thus, facilities moving forward may need to start adopting a nuclear reactor approach whereby process steps that utilise toxic compounds harmful to the environment could be done in biological shields that catch leaks. Furthermore, semiconductor production needs to look at its entire supply chain and identify critical areas of environmental damage such as mining and raw materials processing.