New developments in wastewater treatment for semiconductor fabs

Jenkins, Brian
(Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company)

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It is well known that semiconductor fabs generate enormous quantities of UPW (UltraPure Water) for production; some of the largest reverse osmosis systems in the world are in the microelectronics industry. Also, the industry has some of the largest HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems to support the critical manufacturing environment. As the trend in circuit micro-miniaturization continues, the UPW systems continue to grow in size and complexity. This same trend generates more and more wastewater. Although opportunities for water re-use and recycling, many of the wastewaters generated will require some remediation to make them suitable for these re-use / recycle scenarios. Two of the wastewater “culprits” we will be discussing in this presentation are fluoride (from the HF in the etching processes) and hydrogen peroxide (from various cleaning steps). The presentation will describe some of the newly developed removal techniques, as well as projections of their positive environmental effects compared to currently used techniques as well as financial benefits.

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