SEMICONDUCTOR

The biggest growth area has been semiconductors. ATMI, Centrotherm, Hitachi and a dozen other specialized companies or divisions have carved out a sizable market in point of use destruction systems. These are small but very expensive systems handling very toxic gases. The traditional APC companies have also enjoyed a good market for solvent fume destruction. Some fluid bed activated carbon units have been installed but for the most part semiconductor companies have opted for thermal or catalytic units. Carbon wheels are used for concentration in many semiconductor plants

The semiconductor industry is bottoming out and substantial investment in new plants will take place in the next few years. The industry is going through a fundamental shift. The standard wafer diameter is 8 inches ( 200 mm). 12 inch wafers with much finer line sizes will bring the cost per unit of memory down considerably plus provide the further miniaturization which is so highly prized. The result is that a big capital spending splurge will take place on the up cycle.