M 3307

Wet processing and clean tools handle wafers with liquid chemicals in controlled process modules. Coater and developer tools are used in lithography-related wafer preparation and pattern transfer steps. Such equipment is commonly placed where resist coating, chemical development, cleaning, and related surface treatment steps must be carried out with controlled handling.

Wet processing tools move wafers through chemical handling areas where liquid process steps are applied and then terminated by rinse, drain, or dry sequences as required by the recipe. Coater and developer equipment generally combines wafer transport, chemical dispense, and enclosed process stations so that surface treatment can be carried out with repeatable timing and exposure. Load ports on tools of this class provide the interface between wafer carriers and the internal handling system.

Wet cleaning and related chemical treatment tools are used between major fabrication steps to prepare surfaces, remove residues, or complete resist-related processing. In a lithography-oriented flow, coater and developer functions sit around exposure operations, with coating before exposure and development after exposure. In cleaning-oriented use, such tools can also be placed after assembly or material-deposition steps when chemical residue removal is required.

Tools in this class are used for wafer surface preparation, resist processing, and chemical cleaning tasks that depend on controlled liquid application. Flux cleaning applications focus on removing process residues from wafer surfaces or related substrates without shifting the work to a dry plasma tool. Coater and developer applications support patterning flows in which photosensitive materials must be applied and then chemically developed.