Environmental and Economic Impacts of Nitrogen Trifluoride at an Idaho Semiconductor Facility

Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3) is an inorganic compound widely used in the electronics industry for manufacturing various products, such as semiconductors, solar panels, and touch screens. However, NF3 emissions that accumulate in the atmosphere have 17,200 times the global warming potentials of CO2 over a 100-year time horizon. The abatement efficiency for NF3 is high, although some amount of NOx is generated. This study aims to provide economic and environmental impact assessments on the use of NF3. Life cycle assessment method is applied for evaluating environmental aspects. Additionally, a real case study for the Idaho semiconductor facility is used to assess the method and demonstrate the application of this study. The results show that slight reductions in abatement efficiency have dramatic impacts on mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Even small unplanned releases of NF3, either through mechanical failure or human error, have significant environmental impacts, and every reasonable effort should be taken to avoid such incidents. The results also indicate that the cost of abatement is the primary driver of economic impact. It is found that the considerable distance from the chemical plant in Arizona to the point of use in Idaho contributed a minor portion of GHGs associated with the use of NF3. It is also found that contaminants (e.g., SF6 and CF4) within the cylinder potentially have more substantial GHG impacts than the actual NF3, owing in part to the relative ease with which NF3 is destroyed through abatement.

Gas-phase molybdenum-99 separation from uranium dioxide by fluoride volatility using nitrogen trifluoride

Data demonstrates large variance in the volatilization temperatures of MoO2 (likely as MoF6) vs. UO2 (as UF6). This forms the basis of a gas-phase separation of 99Mo from U.