Open Competition 2 - Chemistry and Materials

Photocatalytic Reactor for Producing Ultrapure Water

Sponsor: Titan Technologies

• Project Performance Period: 10/1/2001 - 9/30/2004
• Total project (est.): $2,011,487.00
• Requested ATP funds: $1,780,487.00

As the dimensions and features of semiconductor devices continue to shrink, the rinse water used in production must meet increasingly stringent purity requirements. Water purity affects device yield, performance, and reliability. The industry's target specification for Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in rinse water is less than 1 part per billion (ppb) by 2004. However, existing water treatment systems can barely achieve 2 ppb TOC. Titan Technologies will develop and demonstrate a robust, modular photocatalytic reactor that purifies water to less than 1 ppb TOC and destroys microorganisms and their by-products, all at capital and operating costs comparable to, or lower than, current methods. The photocatalytic process involves the use of ultraviolet light to illuminate a semiconductor catalyst (titania) at the appropriate wavelength to generate chemical reactions that oxidize organics and kill microorganisms. In a three-year project, the company will overcome problems previously associated with this process by designing and fabricating a rigid, semi-transparent, three-dimensional support structure to which the catalyst is attached. Also, Titan will develop innovative techniques to apply a durable, highly active titanium dioxide coating. This structural design will strike a balance among various competing requirements and offer advantages such as volumetric distribution of the fluid stream through the catalyst bed to enhance proximity and contact time of the active agents and contaminants. Major challenges include optimizing the support structure design and achieving a durable coating. A pilot-scale reactor will be built and tested and then scaled up to production size. ATP support is needed because the research is at too early a stage and too high risk to attract private funding. Subcontractors will include staff at Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona), who will provide computer-modeling expertise. If successfully developed, the new technology will increase semiconductor manufacturing yields while enabling the cost-effective production of next-generation devices with finer line widths. The purifying system also will enable the recycling of rinse water, thereby reducing operating costs and saving up to 3 million gallons of water daily per plant. In addition, the technology could be used in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and power industries, which use ultrapure water, and other applications, such as sunlight activated water disinfection in the developing world.

For project information:

Lee Frederick, (707) 523-2000
fredrick@sonic.net

ATP Project Manager

Linda Schilling, (301) 975-2887
linda.schilling@nist.gov