November 14, 2007—IBM has announced an innovative new semiconductor wafer reclamation process pioneered at its Burlington, Vermont manufacturing facility. The new process uses a specialized pattern removal technique to repurpose scrap semiconductor wafers—thin discs of silicon material used to imprint patterns that make finished semiconductor chips for computers, mobile phones, video games, and other consumer electronics—to a form used to manufacture silicon- based solar panels.
Through this new reclamation process IBM is now able to more efficiently remove the intellectual property from the wafer surface, making these wafers available for reuse in internal manufacturing calibration as “monitor wafers,” and eventually for sale to the solar cell industry, which must meet a growing demand for the same silicon material to produce photovoltaic cells for solar panels. Currently, an estimated three million silicon wafers are discarded yearly.
IBM intends to provide details of the new process to the broader semiconductor manufacturing industry. It is currently in use the Burlington, VT facility and in the process of being implemented at IBM’s East Fishkill, NY, semiconductor fabrication plant.
The new process was recently awarded the 2007 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Award from The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR). The NPPR also recognized Burlington’s water conservation and energy management programs with an honorable mention.
For more information see IBM’s Semiconductor Solutions Web page.
