Various Energy-Saving Approaches to a TFT-LCD Panel Fab

Abstract

This study employs the developed simulation software for the energy use of the high-tech fabrication plant (hereafter referred as a fab) to examine six energy-saving approaches for the make-up air unit (MAU) of a TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display) fab. The studied approaches include: (1) Approach 1: adjust the set point of dry bulb temperature and relative humidity in the cleanroom; (2) Approach 2: lower the flow rate of supply air volume in the MAU; (3) Approach 3: use a draw-through type instead of push through type MAU; (4) Approach 4: combine the two stage cooling coils in MAU to a single stage coil; (5) Approach 5: reduce the original MAU exit temperature from 16.5 • C to 14.5 • C; and (6) Approach 6: avoid an excessive increase in pressure drop over the filter by replacing the HEPA filter more frequently. The simulated results are further compared to the measured data of the studied TFT-LCD fab in Taiwan. The simulated results showed that Approach 1 exhibits more significant influence on annual power consumption than the other approaches. The advantage/disadvantage of each approach is elaborated. The impact of the six approaches on the annual power consumption of the fab is also discussed.

Assessment of the SEMI energy conversion factor and its application for semiconductor and LCD fabs

“…The ECF calculator developed in the present study was further applied to comprehensively analyze results from the literature [18,20,21], including the semiconductor manufacturing and LCD fabs, of which reported data are summarized in Table 4. Our recent study reported the energy contributions of the facilities/tools of the studied LCD fab [1], as showed in Fig. 1, whereas those of other two semiconductor fabs were not available in the literature.…”

“…High-tech fabrication plants (fabs) generally use a lot of energy, for example, yearly energy consumption might reach 215 GWh for a 3.5 generation small/medium-size TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display) panel fab with a monthly yield of 75,000 pieces and a cleanroom area of 59,760 m 2 [1]. In addition, as reported by Williams et al [2], the energy required to convert raw silicon into a semiconductor chip is 160 times that required to produce the raw silicon, which is then used as a raw material for chip manufacture.…”

Energy-Optimal Structures of HVAC System for Cleanrooms as a Function of Key Constant Parameters and External Climate

“…In turn, Chang et al [32] investigated six strategies for controlling a cleanroom HVAC system, indicating the energy-optimal variant. They proved that the setting of the required room temperature is of key importance here; increasing this temperature by 1 • C resulted in a reduction of energy consumption by 1%.…”