REF · 006-ELEC04 / Electronics

Compressed air and nitrogen for the electronics industry

Semiconductor cleanroom.

The electronics and semiconductor industry imposes the most extreme purity requirements on the market. Wafer handling, anti-static blowing, inert chambers for etching or packaging require air and nitrogen completely free of particles (ISO 14644 class 5 to 7) with extremely low dew point.

Technical challenges

What needs to be solved.

01Achieve particle purity below 0.01 µm on compressed air and technical nitrogen, in compliance with SEMI F and ISO 8573-1 class 0.
02Guarantee total system availability - an unplanned shutdown on an etching line can cost several hundred thousand euros per hour.
03Generate on-site nitrogen at 99.999 % purity with a total cost of ownership lower than bottle or bulk delivery.

CEZIUM technologies

Our technical answer.

Electronics needs two clean fluids in the same place: air and nitrogen. The families below cover both.

Oil-free scroll

2.2 to 45 kW

Oil-free by design and quiet: it installs near the workstations, with no dedicated plant room.

13 catalogue models

N₂ PSA generator

Nitrogen produced on site at the purity actually needed, instead of delivered, stored and handled in cylinders.

67 catalogue models

Heatless adsorption dryer

0.5 to 83 m³/min

The low dew point required by anti-static blowing and inert atmospheres.

31 catalogue models

Standards & certifications

Applicable standards.

ISO 8573-1 Cl. 0TÜV Classe 0CE

Compliances are verified case by case according to the selected model and audit scope. Complete documentation provided with each machine.

Air quality

The classes usually required

Electronics is the most demanding sector on all three contaminants at once. These values are indicative: your etching or packaging process sets the target.

ISO 8573-1 classes commonly met at each point of use, for guidance.
Point of use	Particles	Water (dew point)	Oil
Cleanroom, wafer handling, etching	Classe 1	-70 °C (classe 1)	Classe 0
Anti-static blowing and packaging	Classe 1	-40 °C (classe 2)	Classe 0
Service air and utilities	Classe 2	+3 °C (classe 4)	Classe 1

House rule

Our order of preference for Class 0

When a specification says Class 0, CEZIUM quotes an oil-free machine, as the trade understands it: scroll compressor up to 5 m³/min, rotary tooth compressor from 2.3 to 8.6 m³/min, dry screw or centrifugal beyond that. We also point out the alternative few suppliers mention: a lubricated screw followed by a treatment chain delivers oil-free air for a markedly lower purchase price, without carrying the Class 0 label.

In this trade, Class 0 means an oil-free machine. That is the convention, and it is what a specification expects when it writes Class 0, so that is what we quote. Technically, ISO 8573-1 classifies air at the point of use rather than the compressor, so a lubricated screw followed by multi-stage filtration and an adsorption dryer delivers oil-free air measured on acceptance. That is a genuine alternative, cheaper to buy and far better at heat recovery, but it does not give you a Class 0 certified machine. Both are worth knowing; your own documents decide.

CEZIUM order of preference among oil-free technologies for reaching Class 0 of ISO 8573-1, with the actual ranges from the catalogue.
Rank	Technology	Catalogue flow	Power	Class 0	Recoverable heat	Purchase cost
01	Scroll compressor	0.3 to 4.96 m³/min	2.2 to 45 kW	Oil-free machine	Low	Moderate
02	Rotary tooth compressor	2.3 to 8.6 m³/min	15 to 55 kW	Oil-free machine	Low	High
03	Dry screw compressor	6.8 to 43 m³/min	45 to 250 kW	Oil-free machine	Limited	Very high
04	Centrifugal compressor	48 to 3,000 m³/min	198 to 12,055 kW	Oil-free machine	High	Very high
05	Lubricated screw + treatment chain	0.95 to 44 m³/min	5.5 to 250 kW	Treated air, no label	High	Low

Flow rates and power ratings taken from the CEZIUM catalogue, oil-free technologies and variable-speed lubricated screw. Purchase cost is given in relative ranks, at comparable flow.

01
Scroll compressor
Up to 5 m³/min
The first choice below 5 m³/min: oil-free by design, quiet, compact. The right format for a laboratory, a dental practice or a small production line.
See the 13 catalogue models
02
Rotary tooth compressor
2.3 to 8.6 m³/min
Above the scroll range and up to 8.6 m³/min. The rotors never touch: no friction inside the chamber, minimal wear, TÜV-certified Class 0. Beyond that flow, several units run in parallel.
See the 14 catalogue models
03
Dry screw compressor
7.8 to 46 m³/min
The answer at high flow when the specification says Class 0. We also state its downside: it costs a great deal to buy and lends itself poorly to heat recovery. If your documents ask for oil-free air rather than a certified machine, the previous step is worth quoting alongside.
See the 20 catalogue models
04
Centrifugal compressor
From 48 m³/min
Reserved for the continuous base load of very large sites, where no screw compressor can carry the flow in a single machine.
See the 11 catalogue models
05
Lubricated screw + treatment chain
Alternative, above 8.6 m³/min
The alternative, when your specification asks for oil-free air rather than a certified machine: multi-stage filtration and an adsorption dryer behind a lubricated screw, with acceptance measurement at the point of use. Markedly lower purchase price, and compression heat is recovered from the oil circuit, which a dry machine does poorly. Rule it out if your documents say Class 0.
See the 33 catalogue models

FAQ

The questions we are asked

Is producing nitrogen on site cheaper than buying it in cylinders?

It depends on three things: the purity genuinely needed, the volume consumed, and how steady that consumption is. A PSA generator has a purchase cost, then a running cost dominated by the compressed air it consumes; cylinders need no investment but cost far more per cubic metre, plus handling and returns. The calculation is made on your real consumption, and an overstated purity tips it the wrong way.

What nitrogen purity should you actually ask for?

This is the question that decides the budget. Each further step in purity is paid for in compressed air consumed by the generator, and not linearly. Many installations run at a higher purity than the process requires, out of caution or inheritance: checking it before sizing changes the outcome.

Is a -70 °C dew point needed everywhere?

No, and generalising it is expensive. -70 °C is justified at the most sensitive process points; the rest of the site lives with -40 °C, and utilities with a positive dew point. Segmenting the network by requirement is almost always cheaper than treating the whole site at the level of its hardest point.

Going further

Worth reading before deciding

PSA nitrogen generator vs cylinders: at what volume should you switch?

Producing your nitrogen on site or having it delivered in cylinders: the cost items to compare, and how to find the switch-over point for your profile.

ISO 8573-1: the complete guide to compressed air quality classes

ISO 8573-1 grades compressed air quality against three criteria, particles, water and oil, each on its own scale starting at Class 0. Which class suits which application? Full table and examples.

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