ACM Research announced on October 21, 2026, that it has added sulfuric acid recycling to its 170°C single-wafer Hot Sulfuric Peroxide Mixture (SPM) cleaning system. The semiconductor equipment supplier said the enhanced system achieves a 70% sulfuric acid recycle rate while maintaining customer-required particle control.
Key Takeaways
- The new capability recycles 70% of sulfuric acid while maintaining particle-control performance, according to ACM.
- A foundry customer has validated the system across more than 50 process layers.
- ACM expects the recycling capability to save approximately 400 tons of sulfuric acid per tool annually.
Table of Contents
- ACM Research targets lower chemical consumption
- Particle control remains central to the design
- Conclusion
ACM Research targets lower chemical consumption
The upgrade is intended to reduce chemical use by recovering and reusing sulfuric acid during wafer cleaning. ACM estimates annual savings of approximately 400 tons per tool, presenting that figure as an expected benefit rather than a reported operating result.
The company said a foundry customer had validated the system across more than 50 process layers, supporting its use in a broad range of cleaning applications. The announcement did not identify the customer.
SPM is used in semiconductor manufacturing to strip photoresist, remove organic polymer residue, metallic impurities and particles, and clean wafers after chemical mechanical polishing.
Particle control remains central to the design
ACM said its single-wafer Hot SPM system achieves particle counts of 15 or fewer for particles measuring 15 nanometers and above. The new recycling capability maintains particle-control performance within customer specifications, the company said.
The system also uses a proprietary nozzle design intended to prevent contamination from crystalline deposits caused by acid mist. According to ACM, that design removes the need for periodic deionized-water chamber cleaning required by conventional systems.
ACM said the design can reduce equipment maintenance requirements and help improve yields in logic and memory applications. Those potential benefits, along with the projected acid savings, remain company expectations.
Conclusion
The enhancement pairs customer-validated cleaning performance with acid recycling. ACM's projected chemical savings are an expected benefit, not a completed annual result.
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