Electro-chemical residue sensor helps to reduce water usage

March 4, 2010

By hammersmith

[Source: AZ Nanotechnology] – Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world’s leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, University of Arizona and Arizona State University researchers have shown a new, exclusive way to dramatically conserve the amount of water needed to manufacture semiconductors.

Using a unique device called Electro-Chemical Residue Sensor (ECRS), it allows for clean, rinse and dry process optimization that helps make semiconductor facilities more efficient, sustainable and cost-effective.

Water conservation in semiconductor facilities is becoming a major concern for integrated device manufacturers (IDM), as the costs, availability, and sustainability of water resources can greatly affect manufacturing facilities. Approximately 80 percent1 of water consumed by semiconductor sites is used in the rinsing of the wafer during various stages of device fabrication. Additionally, a wafer going through a modern semiconductor process is rinsed roughly 400 times, according to industry experts.

For more information: Electro-Chemical Residue Sensor Helps to Reduce Water Usage Needed for Nano-Scale Manufacturing Technologies