Purification Method for Achieving Low Trace Metals in Ultra-High Purity Chemicals

and T. Sasaki. J. Photopolym. Sci. Technol., 25 . (2012) 389. 7. M. Ree, C-W. Chu, and M. J. Goldberg J. Appl. Phys., 75 (1994) 1410. The high purity requirements of materials used in semiconductor manufacturing are being pushed to unprecedented levels as demand for reliability in computer processors over increasingly longer lifetimes continues to rise. The production of these high purity chemicals requires new purification methods and technologies where the metal concentrations of low parts per billion (ppb) were effectively reduced to low parts per trillion (ppt). The new approach discussed in this paper would present a method for dividing the fluid through micro-channels that form tortuous pathways. These micro-channels allow for further dividing and converging of the fluid thereby presenting the metal species to the purifying surfaces throughout the porous matrix. The ion exchange capability was a function of the concentration and the presence of the species in the solution. Two ion exchange chemistries of strong acid and chelating were made into these structures and their purification performances were assessed and compared in terms of removal efficiencies. Furthermore, these two chemistries were evaluated in series to demonstrate the overall synergistic purification capabilities.