Strip/Cleaning Process Uses Near-Visible Light

摘要

A new resist strip/wafer cleaning technology has been de-veloped that is "fortunately not intuitively obvious," ac-cording to deyeloper David J. Elliott of UVTech Systems Inc., Wayland, Mass. The technology employs visible light (λ=380-780 nm) with simple gas chemistries to remove contaminants from the wafer surface. What's not intuitively obvious is that most wafer cleaning techniques based on pho-toablation have so far been based on light with much shorter wavelengths, requiring, for example, sophisticated excimer lasers. "The UVTech process uses a different photochemical reaction," said Elliott. "The new process uses only 'green' reactive gases, such as oxygen and ozone, to remove resists and polymer-based residues. The process produces no waste treatable by-products."