METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERY OF WATER AND SLURRY ABRASIVES USED FOR CHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL PLANARIZATION

摘要

A method of recovering liquid and abrasives from an aqueous slurry containing finely divided, suspended solids comprising at least one filtering step utilizing a sintered metal membrane and/or ceramic membrane in conjunction with a method of measuring specific gravity or density, physically concentrating and separating the abrasive particles from the effluent allowing disposal through the normal industrial waste system or reuse of the supernatant liquid. The method is further used for recovery of solids for reuse in other, less critical applications thus reducing or eliminating the waste by-products of the polishing process.