Integrated Circuits

Filtration requirements are critical in the manufacture of very small electronic components referred to as integrated circuits. This broad category includes devices such as transistors, capacitors, resistors, diodes, LEDs, and photocells. The different types of devices can be integrated to form integrated circuits or VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) devices such as microprocessors and random access memory (RAM). As more devices are stacked into a single integrated circuit, the distance between the devices, referred to as line width or geometry, is also reduced. This allows for more rapid functions while reducing the cost per chip. The processes used to make these devices, therefore, require ultrapure water as well as a number of potentially hazardous or aggressive chemicals and chemical mixtures, all of which must be highly filtered to ensure the quality of the devices and high yield.