“Wafer-Thin” Tolerance for Power Disturbances Requires Expanded System.

Manufacturing semiconductor wafers is an extremely delicate process, blending microelectronics with chemical and mechanical systems that require tolerances measured in microns. A single batch can take 30 to 50 days to complete. But a power disturbance of just a few milliseconds can ruin them . . . resulting in millions of dollars in scrapped product, lost production time, and start-up expenses.

A major semiconductor wafer manufacturer had different power quality requirements for its factories in North America, Europe, and Asia. A detailed study of the power disturbances impacting their Phoenix, AZ facility culminated in the decision three years ago to install a 12.47-kV, 10,000-kW S&C PureWave UPS™ System.

By year-end 2001, the manufacturer realized significant growth and needed to expand the original PureWave UPS system. The project had to be implemented immediately, without interruption to production.

The Solution: The World’s Largest Medium-Voltage UPS System

S&C quickly engineered an additional 2,000-kW energy storage container, increasing system capacity to 12,000 kW. The PureWave UPS System provides protection for the entire operation, not just the cleanroom production equipment. The off-line design of the PureWave UPS System is cost-effective and highly efficient.

S&C’s PureWave UPS System is comprised of energy storage containers, each of which can house up to eight 250-kW power modules. This modular construction technique greatly simplified expansion of the system.

Results

The Phoenix facility demonstrates how a large-scale uninterruptible power supply system can be a viable, cost-effective solution for a complex continuous-process application. Working with facility engineers and the local electric utility, S&C’s Power Quality Products and Power Systems Services Divisions produced and installed a system expansion which far exceeds expectation with no interruption to production. Since the initial system installation, the manufacturer has been protected from more than 60 utility power source disturbances.