What standards are used in the semiconductor industry for High Purity ball valves?
The semiconductor industry derives valve design specifications from a compilation of information managed by the SemaSpec group. The production of microchip wafers requires extremely strict adherence to standards to eliminate or minimize contamination from particles, outgassing and moisture. The SemaSpec standards detail sources of particles generation, particle size, sources of gasses (via soft valve components), helium leak testing and moisture from within and without the valve boundary. • Why does the High Purity market prefer to use ball valves in their systems? Ball valves are well proven in the most rigorous applications. Some key advantages of the design include: • Economical – compared to most other valve designs • High flow rate through an unobstructed flow path • Quick, quarter-turn operation • Easy to automate pneumatically or electrically • Inherently flexible to meet a wide range of pressures and temperatures • Simple maintainability • Self-flushing design • What is mechani
