Accurately monitored CMP recycling

A method for recycling CMP slurry, comprising:

• using a slurry in a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process at a semiconductor processing facility, said slurry comprising abrasive particles disposed in a liquid medium;
• and
• recirculating the used slurry through an ultra-filtration device at the semiconductor processing facility until the slurry attains a predetermined specific gravity, thereby producing a concentrated slurry;
• wherein the ultra-filtration device has an inlet and an outlet, and wherein the ultra-filtration device extracts water from the used slurry as the used slurry passes from the inlet to the outlet.

A method for reformulating a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurry, comprising:

• providing a feed stream from a CMP tool, at least a portion of said feed stream comprising abrasive particles disposed in a liquid medium;
• sending the feedstream to a first location when the concentration of abrasive particles in the feedstream is below a threshold level k;
• and
• sending the feedstream to a second location when the concentration of abrasive particles in the feedstream is above the threshold level k, where the feedstream undergoes processing at the second location to reformulate the slurry;
• wherein the processing at the second location comprises increasing the concentration of particles in the feed stream by removing a portion of the liquid medium therefrom with an ultra-filtration device, thereby obtaining a concentrated feedstream.

A method for recycling CMP slurry, comprising:

• using a slurry in a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process at a semiconductor processing facility, said slurry comprising abrasive particles disposed in a liquid medium;
• and
• recirculating the used slurry through an ultra-filtration device at the semiconductor processing facility until the slurry attains a predetermined specific gravity, thereby producing a concentrated slurry;
• wherein the untra-filtration device has an inlet and an outlet, and wherein the ultra-filtration device extracts water from the used slurry as the used slurry passes from the inlet to the outlet.

A method for reformulating a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurry, comprising:

• providing a feed stream from a CMP tool, at least a portion of said feed stream comprising abrasive particles disposed in a liquid medium;
• sending the feedstream to a first location during a first time interval, where the feedstream undergoes processing at the first location to reformulate the slurry;
• and
• sending the feedstream to a second location during a second time interval;
• wherein the processing at the first location comprises increasing the concentration of particles in the feed stream by removing a portion of the liquid medium therefrom with an ultra-filtration device, thereby obtaining a concentrated feedstream.