AIR & WATER POLLUTION
MONITORING NEWSLETTER
July 2012
No. 393
Semiconductor Industry to Spend $2.3 Billion This Year for Flow Control and Treatment Products
Semiconductor manufacturers will spend $2.3 billion in 2012 for flow control and treatment products. This includes products used to extract water from sources, purify it for use in chip washing and other purposes and to purify effluent prior to discharge. The water used in semiconductor processing needs to be extremely pure. Water from a river or even water already processed in a municipal drinking water plant must be subjected to a series of steps which often include granular media filters, cartridges, reverse osmosis, ion exchange and degasification. The water must be carefully monitored for a number of parameters. The semiconductor industry is growing at rates faster than GDP thanks in part to photovoltaic production as well as mobile communications in which Asia is the largest producer and its lead is forecast to grow. China is gaining on Korea, Taiwan and Japan as a major producer.
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