PHOENIX — Questions surrounding safety at a semiconductor plant were brought up after a 41-year-old man died at a construction site outside TSMC’s north Phoenix plant a week ago.
On May 15, officials with Phoenix fire and police say after the area was decontaminated, detectives discovered the driver of the truck was transporting sulfuric acid away from the construction site.
Police say the driver knew there was a possible issue involving the tank, which was stored under pressure. While inspecting the equipment, there was an uncontrolled pressure release, which resulted in the driver being hit by a blunt object and thrown more than 20 feet from the trailer.
The driver later died at the hospital.
An Arizona spokesperson with TSMC released this statement:
"As previously reported, the incident occurred with the driver of a waste disposal truck. The truck’s tank contained sulfuric acid. Soon after the incident, the fire department cleared the site as hazard free. We will continue to support the authorities as they complete their investigation into the cause of this incident, also in cooperation with the employer of the individual. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further in advance of the conclusion of that investigation."
Some viewers reached out to ABC15 looking to know what goes on inside the 1,100-acre facility. Why is so much space needed to create something the size of your fingernail? And why are hazardous chemicals needed to make these chips?
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ABC15 reached out to Liesl Folks, vice president of semiconductor strategy, at the University of Arizona.
Folks said it's common to use chemicals such as sulfuric acid in the industry, though safety measures should be in place in case something happens.
”There’s an enormous amount of effort that goes into making sure those chemicals are secured at all times, every plant is sensored up to detect if there’s a leak in any of these gases,” she said.
The sulfuric acid in particular is used to clean the chip and remove any impurities.
The federal government has given TSMC more than $6 billion through the CHIPS Act, investing in the semiconductor industry.
It's an effort, in part, by the U.S. to be more competitive internationally to make the tiny brains that go in everyday smart devices.
But why such a big office to make something so small?
"As compared to other uses of land, there will be a much higher economic value derived both in terms of product shipped to other places but also jobs high in economic value for residents of Arizona," said Folks.
On how to understand how all that data gets into such a tiny piece of hardware, ABC15 reached out to a retired semiconductor engineer with HP and TSMC, Gary Castleman of Casa Grande. He used an analogy to explain how they’re made.
”This is a topological map of the city of NYC, including all streets, buildings, rooms of the buildings, all the wiring of the building, and all of that put together, and multiply that by 1,000 times, and put that in an area the size of your fingers,” said Castleman.
