Act 8 Coater Developer Track

The Tokyo Electron CLEAN TRACK ACT 8 is a photoresist coater and developer track used in semiconductor photolithography. The system debuted in 1997 and was designed for 200 mm wafers.^[1]

The ACT 8 is built from three major blocks: a Carrier Station Block (CSB) that handles wafer cassettes, a Process Block (PRB) containing spinner modules and thermal plates, and an Interface Block (IFB) for connection to an exposure tool. The CSB provides multiple cassette ports and a robot arm that transfers wafers to the process block. The PRB includes coaters (for bottom antireflective coating and photoresist), a developer, and several types of hot plates and chill plates for bake and cool steps. The IFB mediates wafer transfer to and from the stepper.^[4]

The system features spinner modules with environmental control of temperature, humidity, and air flow above the wafer. Thermal plates include low-temperature hot plates, high-temperature hot plates, precision hot plates for post-exposure bake with multiple heating zones, and high-speed chill plates for rapid cooling. An automatic cup-wash routine cleans the coaters at regular intervals to maintain process consistency.^[4]

The ACT 8 also integrates an optical edge bead removal unit. The platform incorporates thermal processing units and reduced footprint compared to earlier layouts. Elevated wafer transport speed and lower overhead times enable the system to process a high number of wafers per hour.^[1]

The track can be configured for different wafer sizes, with conversion between 100 mm and 150 mm possible. Some units are adapted for 200 mm processing. The interface is designed for ASML PAS5500 steppers, and other versions are built to interface with Nikon steppers.^[4][5][1]