Semiconductors and Electronics

An illuminated view of a semiconductor chip hovering over an interconnected circuit board.

"Be Right" when it comes to Ultrapure Water Quality Monitoring and Analysis

Semiconductor and chip fabrication plants need to use the highest quality water (called Ultrapure Water or UPW), to produce everything from microchips, to LEDs, smart phones, flat panel monitors, and silicon wafers and more.

Ultrapure Water (also known as highly purified water or HPW), is water that is free from impurities and contaminants such as microbes, minerals and bacteria. It is produced under stringent specifications and guidelines.

High Water Consumption = High Costs, Water Scarcity Issues

A large fabrication plant can easily use upwards of 40 million litres of Ultrapure Water every day in fab processes such as water polishing, clean rinse, dicing and back grinding and of course Ultrapure Water production.

This high water consumption means that other challenges include:

Water conservation, recycling and water reuse
Quality defects due to rinse fouling
Chemical reduction
Energy and operational cost savings
Contaminant removal (related to toxic materials and chemicals in the wastewater discharge)
Maintain compliance regulations – specifically around Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and silica

Get Start-to-Finish Confidence with Hach

Let Hach ^® be your water partner. With our online and lab solutions with real-time process control, we can help you ensure the high standard of Ultrapure Water quality you require, optimise component usage, maximise the effectiveness of your watercycle, boost operational efficiency, reduce equipment downtime and more.

View the Semiconductor brochure and Selection Guide for Electronics & Semiconductor Water Applications for full information.

From source water, to wastewater monitoring and analysis, to Ultrapure Water, you can depend on Hach.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Process Overview

Electronic component manufacturing unit: main components in Ultrapure Water and industrial wastewater recycling systems

Mains Water
Ultrapure Water Production
Recycling System
Ultrapure Water Loop
Rinsing Water
Chemical Mechanical Planarization
Fabrication
Wastewater Treatment
Discharge
Organic Industrial Wastewater
Pretreated Recycled Water

Process Overview

Pretreatment

Raw Water Tank

Media-filter MMF ACF

Deionization (Optional)

Reverse Osmosis (Double Pass Common)

Make-up Plant

Primary

Ion Exchange

UV Treatment (185 nm)

Degasifier (Optional)

Permeate Tank

Ultrapure Water Tank (Ozonation Optional)

UV Treatment (185 nm)

Hexagonal boron nitride, h-BN

Degas (Tower or Membrane)

Polish Plant

Fabrication

Point of Use Filters

Final Filters

Polish Mixed Bed

Fabrication Flow Chart

Ultrapure Water Consumption in Semiconductor Fabrication Process

	Silicon Thinning * (Backgrinding)	SiO ₂ Layer Formation	Photolithography * (Lithography)	Etching *

	Stripping *	Electricity Flow Stabilization	Electroplating *	*Diagram key* *Ultrapure Water consumption and wastewater generation

Symbol Key

Reduce Fresh Water Consumption
Reduce Discharge Volume
Reduce Electricity Usage
Reduce Fuel Consumption
Reduce Operational Cost
Improve Productivity
Reduce Compliance Risk

Featured Semiconductor & Electronics Applications

Influent/Raw Water

It all starts at the source. The consistency and purity of your influent or raw water greatly affects the quality of water used throughout the semiconductor production process. With strict standards and guidelines to adhere to, it is imperative that manufacturing plants have the proper water testing systems, equipment, and technology in place from the beginning, to meet regulations and production time.

By utilising accurate instrumentation with real-time analysis to monitor changes to incoming water quality, filter effectiveness and microbiological activity, you can stay at the forefront of potential challenges and establish a reliable system that helps to minimise costs.

Reduce Fresh Water Consumption

Suggested parameters to monitor:

View Hach's Solutions

pHD sc: Digital pH sensor - General Purposes

BioTector B7000i Online TOC Analyser

BioTector B3500c TOC Analyser

SC1000 Controller Probe Module for up to 4 Sensors

3700sc Digital Inductive Conductivity Sensor

BioTector B7000 TOC/TN/TP Analyser

SC1000 Controller Display Module

3400sc Digital Contacting Conductivity Sensors

8310 Conductivity Sensor

SC4500 Controller with Prognosys and LAN + mA Outp

BioTector B3500ul TOC Analyser

3798-S sc Digital Inductive Conductivity Sensor

A mountain river stream representing an influent water source.

Production/Process Control

During the production of microchips, the first step is to create a substrate of monocrystalline silicon which is then used to create discs or wafers. Whether rinsing or positioning the individual components on a disc or wafer, the key factor in each stage of production is purity.

All processes need to be performed precisely without any impurities present. Airborne particles and rinsing agents need to be strictly monitored in clean rooms with the rinsing agents being as pure as possible. Guaranteeing the quality of the Ultrapure Water requires the use of highly sensitive water analyses in as low concentrations as possible.

Reduce Operational Cost
Improve Productivity

Suggested parameters to monitor:

Ultrapure Water Conductivity Combined with Hach Conductivity Certification System (Purecal)
Ultra-low Turbidity
Ultra-low Chlorine
Silica
Sodium
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Dissolved Hydrogen
Dissolved Carbon Dioxide
ATP

View Hach's Solutions

LDO sc - DO Probe

Solitax sc Sensor - Turbidity + Suspended Solids

SC1000 Controller Probe Module for up to 4 Sensors

TU5300sc Low Range Laser Turbidimeter

3700sc Digital Inductive Conductivity Sensor

Orbisphere 3100 Portable Oxygen Analyser

Orbisphere K1100 LDO sensor

SC1000 Controller Display Module

TU5200 Benchtop Laser Turbidimeter

3400sc Digital Contacting Conductivity Sensors

SC4500 Controller with Prognosys and LAN + mA Output

Orbisphere 312xx Hydrogen Sensor

3798-S sc Digital Inductive Conductivity Sensor

Orbisphere 312xx Sensor

Woman technician placing circuit board in factory assembly line.

Effluent Treatment

The demands to minimise environmental impact combined with the necessity of clean water sources are posing many limitations for current and future facilities. Effluent management is a journey that evolves from laboratory measurements to automatic online process control and finally to smart optimisation systems.

From chemical neutralisation, to sampling and sludge treatment, prominent and effective monitoring can help reduce waste and treatment operation costs. Act in real time to fluctuating parameters while maximising efficiency and minimising violations at the systemic level with a continuous, reliable, and accurate water analysis system implementation.

Reduce Discharge Volume

Suggested parameters to monitor:

Turbidity
Suspended Solids
pH
Fluoride
Aluminium
Phosphate
Copper
Iron
Total Organic Carbon (TOC)

View Hach's Solutions

pHD sc: Digital pH sensor - General Purposes

Phosphax sc Phosphate Analyser

BioTector B7000i Online TOC Analyser

Solitax sc Sensor - Turbidity + Suspended Solids

Analog Differential pH Sensor

BioTector B3500c TOC Analyser

SC1000 Controller Probe Module for up to 4 Sensors

TU5300sc Low Range Laser Turbidimeter

BioTector B7000 TOC/TN/TP Analyser

SC1000 Controller Display Module

TU5200 Benchtop Laser Turbidimeter

Filtrax Sample Filtration Systems

SC4500 Controller with Prognosys and LAN + mA Output

BioTector B3500ul TOC Analyser

EZ1031 Phosphate Analyzer (Vanadate Yellow Method) PO₄-P

EZ1001 Aluminium Analyser Al(III)

EZ3007 Fluoride Analyser

Looking through a large water pipe flowing out to a body of water.

QA/QC Lab

Control of high-volume manufacturing processes can be challenging due to excessive volumes of process data, tools, and monitoring systems. Avoiding abnormal processing conditions, breakdowns, and human error is crucial to optimising quality control. When you combine your QA/QC lab check with real-time process measurements, you are ensuring the process equipment remains validated and within a tolerance window.

Understanding the methodologies available to your specific testing needs will enable you to make the right decisions regarding your plant and final product. Take out the guesswork.

Reduce Compliance Risk

Suggested parameters to monitor:

Aluminium
Calcium
Chloride
Colour
Copper
Fluoride
Hardness/ Alkalinity
Iron
pH
Phosphate
Silica
Sodium
Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
Turbidity

View Hach's Solutions

SC1000 Controller Probe Module for up to 4 Sensors

SC1000 Controller Display Module

SC4500 Controller with Prognosys and LAN + mA Output

EZ1001 Aluminium Analyser Al(III)

EZ3007 Fluoride Analyser

A technician wearing protective gloves examines the water turbidity within a laboratory.

Water Reuse

Reducing environmental impact is a key reason to optimise water reuse. Water reuse, including reclaimed and recycled water, is one method facilities can utilise to enhance sustainability practices and safeguard water quality standards by reducing the plant's dependency on external water sources.

With water scarcity as a serious concern worldwide, there is an emergent need to address the impact of the production process' water consumption and consider ways in which we can optimise water reuse in the future while still ensuring quality products.

Recovering and reusing wastewater from a manufacturing process will require some form of treatment—basic or rigorous. By monitoring for parameters and compounds such as pH, TOC, BOD, COD and TSS, from start to finish, treatment operators will be equipped to make better informed decisions and have the knowledge they need to continually assess the water quality and advance the efficiency of the reuse treatment process.

Reduce Operational Cost

Suggested parameters to monitor:

Ultrapure Water Conductivity
Ultrapure Water pH
Ultra-low Turbidity
Ultra-low Chlorine
Silica
ATP

View Hach's Solutions

pHD sc: Digital pH sensor - General Purposes

Solitax sc Sensor - Turbidity + Suspended Solids

Analog Differential pH Sensor

SC1000 Controller Probe Module for up to 4 Sensors

TU5300sc Low Range Laser Turbidimeter

3700sc Digital Inductive Conductivity Sensor

SC1000 Controller Display Module

TU5200 Benchtop Laser Turbidimeter

3400sc Digital Contacting Conductivity Sensors

8310 Conductivity Sensor

SC4500 Controller with Prognosys and LAN + mA Output

3798-S sc Digital Inductive Conductivity Sensor

A series of reverse osmosis membranes within a plant facility.

Steam and Power

Monitoring is critical. Improper feedwater, impurities, condenser tube failure and excessive air are just a few of the pitfalls/hazards that can lead to system fouling, malfunctions, lengthy repairs and expensive unexpected costs.

With timely and accurate measurement, you can quickly identify issues (corrosion, iron transport, fouling, etc.), that could impair production and shorten the life of your equipment. Protect against microbial growth inside cooling towers, corrosion to piping, condensers and dryers over time, and potential leakage in heat exchangers by utilizing continuous, accurate monitoring and analysis tools.