The Challenge

With global demand for semiconductors and microelectronics on the rise, the United States is intensifying efforts to expand domestic manufacturing. Existing facilities nationwide are quickly adapting to meet these demands, while plans for new facilities aim to enhance domestic self-sufficiency.

Atlas High Purity Water recently collaborated with a leading-edge semiconductor fabrication facility to enhance their ultrapure water system, aligning it with the rapidly evolving demands of the semiconductor industry. The customer, with a diverse product portfolio spanning automotive, communications, computing, aerospace, and power applications, required a system that could produce two distinct water qualities: high purity water for humidification and ultrapure (UPW) E-3 electronics-grade water for semiconductor manufacturing.

Our Solution

Atlas embarked on a comprehensive upgrade of the facility’s ultrapure water system. The new system was meticulously designed to meet these rigorous water quality specifications, and included technologies such as Reverse Osmosis, Ultraviolet Sterilization, and Sub-Micron Final Filtration. This complete solution was skid mounted and controlled through a custom designed PLC panel with HMI for precise control and monitoring (designed, built, and programmed in house by our team of engineers and automation experts).

This custom design and build included duplex RO units each capable of 20 GPM at 50F (2 trains of pretreatment + RO for redundancy), that would provide the pure water generation for each separate storage and distribution system; one to provide RO grade water to the building’s humidification, and a second to provide E-3 electronics-grade (UPW) water to the semiconductor manufacturing loop. The RO grade water for humidification was stored in a 1,500 gallon storage tank and distributed to the building’s humidification at 90 GPM at 80 PSI. The electronics-grade water was stored in a 1,000-gallon storage tank and distributed to the semiconductor manufacturing loop at 50 GPM at 80 PSI.

Atlas skid-mounted and fabricated the entire system in house. The unit was fully tested before deployment to ensure no unanticipated downtime during the installation. The result was on-site start-up and commissioning in a single day. Through meticulous planning, discussion with the end user, and engineering, Atlas was able to ensure that the upgraded ultrapure water system not only met but exceeded the facility’s requirements, providing a robust and reliable solution for their semiconductor manufacturing and humidification processes.

Atlas delivered a tailored solution that aligns with the facility’s specific requirements, contributing to their ongoing success in the semiconductor industry. The upgrade ensured consistent production of ultrapure water, meeting the stringent requirements of semiconductor manufacturing processes while also providing high purity water for humidification. As the demand for advanced microelectronic and semiconductor products continues to surge, Atlas takes pride in supporting this critical sector of American domestic manufacturing with industry leading ultrapure water systems.