US 12,077,456 B2
Apparatus and method for providing ultrapure water
Philippe Rychen, Muespach-le-Haut (FR); Dominik Saladin, Muttenz (CH); and Sylvain Keav, Leymen (FR)
Assigned to Ovivo Inc., Montreal (CA)
Appl. No. 17/051,356
Filed by Ovivo Inc., Montreal (CA)
PCT Filed Mar. 28, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/052577
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 28, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/186476, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 3, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 18164647 (EP), filed on Mar. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0221705 A1, Jul. 22, 2021
Int. Cl. C02F 1/32 (2023.01); C02F 1/42 (2023.01); C02F 1/70 (2023.01); C02F 103/04 (2006.01)
CPC C02F 1/325 (2013.01) [C02F 1/42 (2013.01); C02F 1/705 (2013.01); C02F 2103/04 (2013.01); C02F 2201/002 (2013.01); C02F 2201/3223 (2013.01); C02F 2201/3228 (2013.01); C02F 2301/024 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising an apparatus providing ultrapure water for use in semiconductor fabrication, the system including a flow of water through the apparatus, comprising:
a circular-cylindrical reactor (2) with an inner cylindrical shell (3), an outer circular-cylindrical shell (4) arranged concentrically around the inner cylindrical shell and having a larger diameter than a diameter of the inner cylindrical shell, defining an annular channel volume (5) formed between the inner shell and the outer shell, with the flow of water through the annular channel volume (5),
an outer circular-cylindrical vessel (11) concentrically positioned around the outer shell (4) and having a larger diameter than the outer cylindrical shell to define an outer volume with the flow of water extending through the outer volume,
a flow inlet port in one end of the reactor to said annular channel volume, with the flow of water entering through the inlet port, and a flow outlet port in said one end of the reactor from said outer volume, defining a flow path of the flow of water from the inlet port at said one end to an opposite, downstream end of the annular channel volume (5) and through a flow reversal end structure at said downstream end and into the outer volume (12) so that the flow of water flowing through and exiting the annular channel volume then reverses direction and enters and flows through the outer volume, the water exiting the outer volume through the flow outlet port,
a UV emission device within said inner shell (3), for UV transmission through the water flowing through the annular channel volume (5) to oxidize organic molecules in the water,
the outer volume containing at least one of: an adsorbing material comprising an ion exchange resin capable of removing oxidized organic materials from the UV-treated water; and a catalyst capable of removing hydrogen peroxide from the UV treated water,
the inner cylindrical shell (3), the outer cylindrical shell (4) and the annular channel volume throughout the flow of water being without metal components so that the water flowing through the annular channel volume does not make contact with any metal, and
the cylindrical reactor with the inner and outer cylindrical shells and the annular channel volume, as well as the outer cylindrical vessel and the outer volume, being contained in said apparatus as a sole unitary device,
whereby ultrapure water is provided by the water flowing through the annular channel volume for UV treatment and oxidization of organic materials, with the UV-treated water then reversing direction at said flow reversal end structure and flowing through the outer volume where hydrogen peroxide and/or oxidized organic materials are removed, all within a single unitary device.