It is critical to monitor and control the health of the CMP slurry being used in the polishing process. The AccuSizer Point of Use (POU) particle size and concentration analyzer has been successfully used to optimize filtration operations at several points in the distribution system. The AccuSizer POU systems can be placed close to the process both downstream of the supply line filter and the point of use filters - see diagram below:

 

The AccuSizer POU system was placed downstream of the supply line filter in order to determine when it was necessary to replace the filter. The results shown below helped the customer determine that the filter should be replaced every 24 hours. This saved the customer money by replacing filters only when required while lowering the LPC in the slurry delivered to the polishing tools. The AccuSizer POU can also be installed downstream of the POU filters for additional assurance of low LPC.