Podcast EP222: The Importance of Managing and Preserving Ultrapure Water in Semiconductor Fabs with Jim Cannon
Dan is joined by Jim Cannon, Head of OEM and Markets at Mettler-Toledo Thornton. Jim has over 35 years of experience managing, designing, and developing ultrapure water treatment and technology. Jim is currently involved in the standards and regulatory organizations including the Facilities and Liquid Chemicals Committee, Reclaim/Reuse/Recycle Task Force, and the UPW Task Force.
Jim focuses on a unique challenge the semiconductor industry faces. Rather than the power or performance of the end device, he discusses the substantial challenge of reducing water usage for fabs, both new and existing facilities. It turns out semiconductor fabs use ultra-pure water as the universal solvent for all process steps. When you consider that multiple rinses are required for many steps, the amount of water used by large fabs can literally drain the water table of the surrounding area.
Jim discusses the ways the industry is focusing on this problem, both from a regulatory perspective as well as employing advanced technology to both sense water purity and develop new methods to reclaim water in the process The techniques discussed will have substantial impact on the growth of the semiconductor industry.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in these podcasts belong solely to the speaker, and not to the speaker’s employer, organization, committee or any other group or individual.
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