REDUCING DI WATER-USE

Vast quantities of deionized water are required for semiconductor manu facturing. Cost savings and regional water limitations motivate reduct ion, recycling, and reclamation. Substantial reductions can be achieve d by simply eliminating excessive water flow through existing baths. A fully optimized fab DI system can only be realized through a thorough understanding of rinsing mechanisms and hardware design. Optimized ba ths allow for thorough cleaning of wafer surfaces with reduced total w ater. Recycling and reclamation generally require substantial upgrades to drain systems.