105.668 Gallons of Wastewater to be Reused Daily in the Manufacture of Semiconductors

Samsung Semiconductors announces that it will reuse millions of gallons of wastewater daily in its manufacture of semiconductors.

The production of semiconductors requires a tremendous amount of water, as each chip requires thousands of gallons of ultrapure water for equipment cooling and repeated steps of wafer surface cleaning.

“…a typical 200 mm wafer fab that processes 20,000 wafers per month can use up to 3,000 m³ of UPW per day. That is the equivalent of the daily water requirements of a community of 20,000 people.”   

Ultrapure Water for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Ultrapure water (UPW) is water filtered to remove fine particles, microorganisms, and other impurities, leaving behind essentially only the hydrogen and oxygen molecules of H2O.

As great as the industry’s need for ultrapure water is today, Samsung Semiconductor, one of the giants in the business, projects that by 2030, its needs will double. In preparation for this growth, the tech giant has announced plans to purify and use 105.668 million gallons (400 million liters) of wastewater daily.

The process will be launched at Samsung’s Hwaseong plant in South Korea and will utilize wastewater from local sewage.

Other Wastewater Visibility News Topics of Interest

• SediVision Wastewater Technology Presented at EPA Environmental Financial Advisory Board
• Can We Increase the Beneficial Uses of Florida Reclaimed Water?