Semiconductor, photovoltaic and hydrogen production
Ultrapure Water Production
Ultrapure water (UPW) is indispensable for processing wafers or the complex, wet chemical procedural steps in volved in photolithography in the production of micro and nanoelectronics. Such processes are used to manufacture semiconductor components like computer processors, memory chips, lightemitting diodes (LEDs), liquid crystal (LC) and LED displays, and photovoltaic modules. UPW water is also used for the for H2 production in Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysers (PEM) .
UPW is also used in microsystems technology for manu facturing and processing miniaturized mechanical compo nents for micropumps, micromotors, and microvalves, for example. Ultrapure water is an important prerequisite for preventing or removing deposits or impurities from delicate structures right down to the nanometer range that would otherwise result in production faults and indefensibly high rejection rates. As electronics advances towards increasingly small dimensions, the quality requirements for UPW are becoming increasingly stringent.
Special ion exchange resins from the Lewatit® UltraPure (UP) series play a significant role in producing ultrapure water reliably and efficiently. These include individual resins as well as working mixed beds and final polishers. They are all characterized by a particularly low release of organic matter and therefore contribute little to any increase in TOC con centration in the process sequence (low ΔTOC, total organic carbon). What is more, the discharge of metals and particles right down to the nanometer range is reduced to a minimum.
To produce UPW, fresh water or recycled process water is first demineralized. Then, it is taken through final polishing to reach the required extremely low levels of conductivity. After final polishing with special ion exchangers, the water obtained will be of the highest purity. If necessary, the particle content of the water is reduced further through a series of filtration steps. In addition to the filtration steps, special ion exchangers enable the formation of particles due to resin erosion in the course of UPW production to be prevented from the outset. To that end, the aggressive hydrogen peroxide is removed from the water. For a safe and econimal process Lewatit® UltraPure resins are also nesseray for the production of green H2. For example the PEM H2 production process contains big water cycles, which has to be pure treated to get no damage on the PEM system.
Our LewaPlus® design software can model various combinations of ion exchange resins and exchange stages on a madeto-measure basis and analyze their properties. This provides the user with maximum confidence that they will obtain the optimum treatment solution for the relevant feed water and the required process water quality for the given situation.
Strong Acidic Cation Exchange Resins
| Product | Product Matrix | Ionic Form | Bead Size (mm): Monodisperse: (MD, mean value) Heterodisperse: (HD, share > 90%) | Total Capacity (eq/l) min. | Volume Change (%) max. | Water Retention (%) | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1212 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | H+ | MD: 0.60 (+/– 0.05) | 2.1 | –6 (H+ → Na+) | 45–50 | Uniform particle size highpurity cation exchanger |
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1213 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | H+ | MD: 0.60 (+/– 0.05) | 2.1 | –6 (H+ → Na+) | 45–50 | Uniform particle size highpurity cation exchanger |
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1216 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | H+ | MD: 0.55 (+/– 0.05) | 2.1 | –8 (H+ → Na+) | 45–50 | Uniform particle size highpurity cation exchanger |
Medium Base Anion Exchange Resins
| Product | Product Matrix | Ionic Form | Bead Size (mm): Monodisperse: (MD, mean value) Heterodisperse: (HD, share > 90%) | Total Capacity (eq/l) min. | Volume Change (%) max. | Water Retention (%) | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1231 MD | Styrene/DVB macroporous | FB/Cl | MD: 0.59 (+/– 0.05) | 1.4 | 24 (del. Form → Cl) | 61–66 | Ultrapure water |
Strong Base Anion Exchange Resins – Type I
| Product | Product Matrix | Ionic Form | Bead Size (mm): Monodisperse: (MD, mean value) Heterodisperse: (HD, share > 90%) | Total Capacity (eq/l) min. | Volume Change (%) max. | Water Retention (%) | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1241 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | Cl | MD: 0.62 (+/– 0.05) | 1.3 | 22 (C → OH) | 48–55 | Ultrapure water |
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1242 MD | Styrene/DVB | OH | MD: 0.60 (+/– 0.06) | 1.1 | –22 (C → OH) | 56–66 | H2 PEM cycle treatment |
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1243 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | OH | MD: 0.64 (+/– 0.06) | 1.1 | –22 (C → OH) | 56–66 | Ultrapure water |
| Lewatit® UltraPure 1261 MD | Styrene/DVB macroporous | Cl | MD: 0.62 (+/– 0.05) | 1.1 | 22 (C → OH) | 60–65 | Ultrapure water |
| Lewatit® K 7333 | Styrene/DVB gel | OH | MD: 0.64 (+/– 0.06) | 1.1 | –22 (C → OH) | 56–66 | Ultrapure water |
Mixed Bed: Strong Acidic Cation Exchange Resins / Strong Base Anion Exchange Resins
| Product | Product Matrix | Ionic Form | Bead Size (mm): Monodisperse: (MD, mean value) Heterodisperse: (HD, share > 90%) | Total Capacity (eq/l) min. | Volume Change (%) max. | Water Retention (%) | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewatit® NM 60 SG | Styrene/DVB gel | H+/OH | HD: 0.40–0.65 (effective size) | 0.55** | –15| (H+/OH → Ca2+,Mg2+, SO 2, Cl) |
50–60 | Production of very pure water for semiconductor industry |
| Lewatit®UltraPure 1292 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | H+/OH | MD: 0.67 +/– 0.05 A 0.60 +/– 0.07 C |
2.1 C/1.1 A | –15 (H+/OH → Ca2+, Mg2+, SO 2, Cl) 4 |
SAC 45–50 SBA 59–65 |
Ultrapure water, very low TOC leaching |
| Lewatit®UltraPure1294 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | H+/OH | MD: 0.67 +/– 0.05 A 0.60 +/– 0.07 C |
2.1 C/ 1.1 A | –15 (H+/OH → Ca2+,Mg2+, SO 2, Cl) 4 |
SAC 45–50 SBA 59–65 |
Polishing to get 18+ megohm water (pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries) |
| Lewatit®UltraPure1295 MD | Styrene/DVB | H+/OH | MD: 0.60 +/– 0.06 A 0.65 +/– 0.06 C |
2.0 C/1.0 A | –15 (H+/OH → Ca2+,Mg2+, SO 2, Cl) 4 |
45–70 | H2 PEM cycle treatment |
| Lewatit®UltraPure1296 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | H+/OH | MD: 0.67 +/– 0.07 A 0.50 +/– 0.05 C |
2.0 C/ 1.1 A | –15 (H+/OH → Ca2+,Mg2+, SO 2, Cl) 4 |
SAC 46–52 SBA 59–65 |
Polishing to get 18+ megohm water (pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries) |
| Lewatit®UltraPure1297 MD | Styrene/DVB gel | H+/OH | MD: 0.64 +/– 0.02 A |
2.1 C/1.1 A | –14 (H+/OH → Ca2+,Mg2+, SO4 2-, Cl-) |
SAC 47–53 SBA 60–65 |
Ultrapure water cartridge applications |
Check out full information in Brochure Lewatit Product Guide 2025
