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SBIR Phase II: A Quality Monitor for Enabling Water Recycling in Semiconductor Processing - The Particle Scout

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: 0646557
Agency Tracking Number: 0512803
Amount: $500,000.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: MI
Solicitation Number: NSF 04-604
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2004
Award Year: 2007
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
6923 Redbud Drive 6745 HOLLISTER AVENUE
Manhattan, KS 66503
United States
DUNS: 080880557
HUBZone Owned: Yes
Woman Owned: Yes
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: Yes
Principal Investigator
 Sameer Madanshetty
 PhD
 (785) 317-4949
 sameer@uncopiers.com
Business Contact
 Sameer Madanshetty
Title: PhD
Phone: (785) 317-4949
Email: sameer@uncopiers.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Project concerns Ultrapure Water (UPW), the life blood of the semiconductor industry. The proposed instrument seeks to satisfy the ITRS requirements on two counts: 1. full flow inspection, and 2. detection of sub-100nm liquid-borne particles. 1. A typical semiconductor fab uses about 3 million gallons of UPW every day, and the ITRS, in its attempt to conserve the precious resource, water, mandates that 90% of UPW be recycled/reused by 2010. The recycled UPW loop will need full flow monitoring, which the proposed Particle Scout will do. 2. The purity of UPW directly affects the chip yield, because the final operation on wafers is UPW rinse and any contaminants present in the UPW contaminate the wafers it rinses. As the industry moves to sub-100 nm nodes the ITRS particle detection requirements fall to sub-50 nm. Particle Scout for monitoring in real-time the particulate purity of recycled UPW for use in Semiconductor processing successfully overcomes a critical technological barrier facing the IC manufacturing
industry today. Beyond IC manufacturing industry it will find applications in all enterprises where UPW is used: Power generation, Nuclear Reactors, Pharmaceutical industry, Biotechnology, Space exploration, and processing of Advanced high purity chemicals.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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