COMPLETED RESEARCH
ULTRAPURE WATER RECLAIM
IN SEMICONDUCTOR FABRICATION FACILITIES
by
Edward A. Striffler
ABSTRACT
Escalating factory costs; increased burden upon municipal infrastructure; public scrutiny of the factory in the neighborhood; governmental compliance; an awareness of limited resource availability to sustain a young, fast changing, industry; a need to control escalating capital costs and investment risk, and the need to deliver new, expanded, and re-equipped semiconductor factories faster are all reasons which underscore the importance of developing a greater understanding and more widespread implementation of process wastewater reclaim in the semiconductor industry. This research demonstrates that reclaim is a viable means of ensuring the future water needs of an industry within the limits of the technology available today.
The research develops the importance of reclaim in semiconductor fabrication facilities and is supported by environmental, technology, regulatory, and economic issues. The literature review assembles, from a diverse selection of sources, information which lends support to the growing importance of water reclaim in industrial applications. Attitudes toward the environment, economic impacts upon industry, basic wastewater terminology, differing concepts for supply, treatment, and application of reclaim water, resource management, permitting, and available technologies form the knowledge base for this research.
Information gathered from the literature review and from industry professionals is combined to develop reclaim systems descriptions, diagrams, and flow analyses for fabs of varying scales. Cost and schedule data complement the systems descriptions and diagrams. Impacts on cost, schedule, and system start-up are identified. Life cycle cost considerations are identified to stimulate a greater sharing of information between manufacturer, designer, and constructor and to illustrate the impact of costs beyond the initial capital investment. Breakeven analysis is provided as a tool for evaluating the profitability of reclaim. The research identifies other related subjects for research which share similar research objectives.
The research affirms that reclaim is possible, possesses potential for wide spread implementation in new and existing factory design, can be accomplished within the limits of available technologies, and can be cost effective when considerations are given to the operational savings inherent in consumption and discharge reduction. The systems developed along with the cost and schedule data are an early planning resource for the owners, designers, and constructors engaged in the more cost and schedule efficient delivery of the semiconductor factory.
