ACM Research, a supplier of wafer-cleaning technologies for advanced semiconductor devices, announced commercial production-line readiness of a tool that combines bench and single wafer cleaning in an integrated system. Presented as the first of its type, the Ultra C Tahoe cleaning system for photoresist stripping and post-etch, post-implant and post-CMP cleans offers improved process performance, cost savings on chemicals and significantly reduced sulfuric acid waste generation.

The Ultra C Tahoe cleaning system combines two modules into a single wet-clean system. Sulfuric acid-peroxide mixture (SPM) cleaning and quick dump rinsing (QDR) occur in the bench module, where the SPM process chemicals are recirculated as in a stand-alone bench system, decreasing sulfuric acid waste by at least 80% compared with single wafer SPM cleaning. After bench cleaning in the Tahoe, wafers are transferred to the single wafer module for advanced cleaning while still wet.

The single wafer chamber is flexible and can be configured for each customer's needs to dispense standard clean (SC1), hydrofluoric acid (HF), ozonated deionized water (DI-O3), or other process chemicals. It can accommodate up to four arms with up to three process chemicals on each. Options include an N2 spray arm or megasonic cleaning with ACM Research's Smart Megasonix arm. The system also offers an isopropyl alcohol (IPA) drying function that can be applied to patterned wafers.

For more information, please visit: www.acmrcsh.com