Learn practical ways to reduce rinse wastewater in semiconductor packaging cleaning by evaluating DI water consumption, rinse processes, liquid recovery and distillation.
Why Focus on Rinse Wastewater?
When manufacturers evaluate wastewater from semiconductor cleaning, it is useful to separate the washing process from the rinsing process.
The washing solution is generally circulated and reused.
The rinse section, however, may continuously consume DI water.
Therefore, reducing rinse wastewater can have a significant impact on the overall liquid consumption of an inline cleaning process.
1. Measure Current DI Water Consumption
The first step is to understand how much DI water the current cleaning process actually uses.
Important parameters include:
- DI water flow rate
- Number of rinse sections
- Production hours
- Conveyor speed
- Product loading
- Rinse pressure
For example, an inline semiconductor cleaning process can generate 500–800 liters of rinse wastewater per hour.
2. Separate Washing From Rinsing
The two processes should be evaluated separately.
Washing
Liquid is circulated and reused.
Rinsing
Fresh DI water is often continuously supplied and discharged.
Therefore, if the objective is wastewater reduction, the rinse section should be the primary focus.
3. Evaluate the Rinse Medium
The conventional option is: DI Water Rinsing
An alternative process is: Chemical Liquid Rinsing
The appropriate solution depends on the product and cleaning chemistry.
The rinse medium should be evaluated together with:
- Flux residue
- Package structure
- Cleanliness requirement
- Chemical compatibility
- Production conditions
4. Recover the Rinse Liquid
Once the rinse liquid has been recovered, it no longer needs to be treated simply as wastewater.
GC860 collects the rinse liquid and sends it through the recovery and purification process.
This changes the process from: Rinse → Discharge to: Rinse → Recover → Purify → Reuse
5. Use Distillation for Reuse
Recovered rinse liquid contains contaminants from the cleaning process.
Distillation provides a purification step before the liquid is reused.
The overall process becomes:
Chemical Liquid Rinsing → Recovery → Distillation → Reuse
This is the core mechanism behind GC860’s zero-wastewater rinsing concept.
6. Consider the Whole Cleaning Process
Wastewater reduction should not be considered independently from cleaning performance.
The final process needs to balance the whole process, such as:
Cleaning Performance
Can the system remove the required flux and process residues?
Rinsing Performance
Can residual cleaning chemistry be adequately removed?
Liquid Management
Can the rinse liquid be recovered and reused?
Production
Can the process operate continuously at the required throughput?
Factory Infrastructure
What utilities and wastewater systems are required?
GC860: Zero-Wastewater Rinsing for SIP Cleaning
GC860 is designed for SIP post-solder cleaning.
Its process combines:
- Chemical liquid washing
- Chemical liquid rinsing
- Rinse-liquid recovery
- Distillation
- Liquid reuse
- Air drying
- Hot-air drying
The washing liquid is circulated during the cleaning process.
The key zero-wastewater function is applied to the rinsing stage, where the rinse liquid is recovered, distilled and reused rather than continuously discharged.
What Does “Zero Wastewater” Mean Here?
For GC860, zero wastewater specifically refers to the rinsing process.
It does not mean that no liquid is ever replaced or replenished. It means the conventional rinse-water stream is designed around a recovery and reuse cycle rather than continuous DI-water discharge. This distinction is important when comparing cleaning equipment and evaluating wastewater requirements.
Conclusion
Reducing rinse wastewater starts with understanding where the wastewater is generated.
For conventional semiconductor cleaning systems, continuous DI-water rinsing can create a significant wastewater stream.
GC860 takes a different approach by using chemical liquid for rinsing and applying: Recovery → Distillation → Reuse to the rinse liquid.
For SIP and semiconductor packaging applications, this provides an alternative approach to conventional DI-water rinsing and wastewater management.
