Is it really harmful to your health to be an equipment engineer (maintenance) in a semiconductor factory?

The specific situation should be analyzed in detail. Generally, there are toxic and harmful substances in semiconductor factories, but it does not mean that there will be them, nor does it mean that every device has them. It depends on what equipment you are repairing. Ordinary MOCVD is poisonous. In addition, attention should be paid to self-protection during maintenance, and it is stipulated that those who wear gas masks should not miss it, and rubber gloves should be worn generally. Experience in handling corrosive substances, wearing double gloves. As for radiation, there is generally no ionizing radiation, and electromagnetic radiation mostly appears on equipment with plasma (such as magnetron sputtering, ICP etching, PECVD, etc. ).

Finally, talk about the experience around me.

1, we have a student here who refuses to do the experiment because he is afraid of toxic substances. Results One year later, there was no problem with the arsenic content in the blood of the physical examination in the whole laboratory, except for her own arsenic exceeding the standard. This incident shows that exposure to harmful substances such as arsenic is not only through normal experiments and work. Moreover, strict protection is also very safe in normal work.

2. Some of our tutors often repair MOCVD equipment and touch toxic pipelines, but he never pays attention to protection himself. It's nothing after all these years. Note: It is not terrible that the equipment has highly toxic powder, and the risk of powdery poisons such as arsenic trioxide is already very low (relative to arsane gaseous compounds). At the same time, dangerous goods such as hydrogen arsenide are protected by gas cylinders, there are gas cabinets outside, and there are a bunch of alarm equipment. If this leaks, run as soon as possible. Anyway, the alarm threshold is very low, and it is too late to run after the alarm. ...

It is said that radiation is harmful and affects male reproduction. But the fact is that I have been using magnetron sputtering for many years. Now that I have children, it's nothing. Colleagues who plan to get married and have children have succeeded ... Male function has little to do with this, but the general decline in sperm motility has a greater impact, which has a greater relationship with DDT use in the 1960 s, environmental pollution and current life pressure.

To sum up, it is safe to pay attention to protection at work and strictly abide by the safety system (no matter how troublesome it is, how others don't follow it). The probability of danger is much lower than being killed by a car on the way home ... I wish you a smooth and happy work.