The wet wafer cleaning process:a key part of semiconductor manufacturing

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the wet wafer cleaning process is one of the crucial links. It effectively removes contaminants from the wafer surface, ensuring the quality and reliability in the manufacturing process. Today, we will deeply explore the principle, method and application of the wet wafer cleaning process.

 1. Principle of the wet wafer cleaning process

The wet wafer cleaning process is to remove contaminants from the wafer surface by using a combination of chemical solutions and physical means. During the cleaning process, the chemical solution reacts with the pollutant to dissolve it and rinse it away. At the same time, physical means, such as ultrasonic and brushing, can further remove impurities and particles on the surface.

 2. Method of wet wafer cleaning process

Immersion cleaning: put the wafer into the cleaning tank, soak in the chemical solution, so that the pollutants react with the chemical solution and be dissolved. Common chemical solutions include hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, etc.

Spray cleaning: Spray the chemical solution on the wafer surface through the nozzle to remove contaminants from the surface. Spray cleaning is usually used in combination with soaking cleaning to improve the cleaning effect.

Ultrasonic cleaning: Using the vibration effect of ultrasonic wave, put the wafer into the ultrasonic cleaning machine, so that the pollutants fall off from the wafer surface.

Brush cleaning: Use a soft brush to gently brush the wafer surface to remove fine particles and impurities.

 3.Application of the wet wafer cleaning process

The wet wafer cleaning process is widely used in the semiconductor manufacturing process:

Before chip manufacturing: Before chip manufacturing, the wafer surface needs to be cleaned to ensure that the surface is clean and free of impurities.

Before the oxidation treatment: Before the oxidation treatment, the wafer surface should be cleaned to ensure the formation quality and reliability of the oxidation layer.

Before film deposition: Before film deposition, the wafer surface is cleaned to ensure that the surface is clean and free of impurities.

Before lithography: Before lithography, the mask needs to be cleaned to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the lithography process.

Before packaging: Before packaging, the chip needs to be cleaned to ensure that the chip is clean and free of impurities.

 4.Future development of the wet-process wafer cleaning process

With the continuous development of semiconductor technology, the requirements for wet wafer cleaning process are also increasing. In the future, the wet-process wafer cleaning process will develop in the following directions:

 High efficiency: In order to improve production efficiency, more efficient cleaning processes and technologies need to be developed to shorten the cleaning time and reduce energy consumption.

 Environmental protection: With the improvement of environmental awareness, it is necessary to develop more environmentally friendly and sustainable cleaning processes and technologies to reduce the impact on the environment.

 Refinement: As the size of semiconductor devices continues to shrink, more refined cleaning processes and technologies need to be developed to remove smaller particles and impurities.

 Integration: Combine the wet wafer cleaning process with other manufacturing processes to achieve integrated production to improve production efficiency and reduce costs.

 In short, the wet process wafer cleaning process is one of the key links in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Through continuous improvement and improvement of the cleaning process and technology, we believe that the future wet wafer cleaning process will be more efficient, environmentally friendly, refined and integrated, making a greater contribution to the development of the semiconductor manufacturing industry.