ABSTRACT
In semiconductor device manufacturing, silicon wafers are processed to fabricate very-large-scaleintegrated (VLSI) or ultra-large-scale-integrated (ULSI) circuits. Since early stages of the semiconductor wafer processing in the 1960s, signi©cant improvements and advancements have been made in chip manufacturing. However, the chemistry of wafer cleaning material and basic cleaning operations have remained fundamentally unchanged. During recent years, the geometry of the microcircuits, the diameter of the silicon wafers, and the processing equipment and methods have been signi©- cantly improved and updated. In the early stages, simple immersion tanks of cleaning solutions were employed with manual agitation. Today, more advanced cleaning solutions are applied on sophisticated
wet benches and spray tools with automated chemical delivery systems and robotic arm movements for the displacement of wafers.
