Benefits of Modutek's Dry to Dry Etching Process Equipment

Modutek Corporation offers fully automated Dry to Dry wet process equipment for base / acid that can be configured in many different ways to suit your company's wet process requirements. This equipment, used for processing / etching or cleaning, has been designed with much effort by Modutek's engineering team in order to provide the most effectiveness. Glass substrates to 30" x 60" glass solar panels, and standard silicon wafers can be accommodated by the water carriers.

All components, whether for etching, wet process, or cleaning, are manufactured after being designed in-house and complete support is provided. The dry-to-dry station makes use of the IPA Vapor Dryer, which is labeled MVD series (Modutek Vapor Dryer). The integrated dryer prevents the necessity of a separate drying tool, reducing transfer time and increasing yield and throughput. This is all handled by the advanced software designed by the software team. Modutek experts design, assemble, and test the whole robotic system in the facility at San Jose, CA. DI water is used for all quality testing procedures.

Some of the standard features that make the wet process equipment useful for your every-day applications include PVC safety shields, white polypropylene construction, photohelic interlocked to EPO, DI water and Teflon N2 gun hand spray, casters and leg levelers, encoder feedback on servo motors, touch screen with graphic user interface (GUI) on the PLC, 1" lip exhaust on every wet process tank, NFPA 70 and 79 wiring on all stations, IPA Vapor Dryer on board, Emergency Power Off (EPO) on all safety locks, multiple size and length options, and two copies of the manual of which one is paper and one is digital.

The software for the equipment includes SolidWorks Simulation Professional and SolidWorks Flow Simulation. The software and robotic design are completed in house and are not outsourced. The design work, assembly, and quality testing is all handled in one location.

Some of the applications for which Modutek's dry-to-dry wet processing equipment can be used include SC1 and SC2 containing Megasonic Energy, SPM Clean, Silicon Nitride Etch, Buffered Oxide Etching (BOE), KOH Etching, Ozone Cleaning, Ozone Etching, and Diffusion Clean.

The ozone feature known as DryZone is a revolutionary solvent gradient dryer that has been patented. The volatile organic carbon (VOC) and total organic carbon (TOC) guidelines have been exceeded with this technology. In this optional feature, deionized water is used to rinse silicon substrates in order to wash away any inorganic impurities. The pieces then move into a solvent chamber where a boundary layer is developed, serving to expunge organic impurities. The next step is the ozone chamber, which may also include ultraviolet light, where any leftover organic traces are turned into carbon dioxide gas. The surface is then clear of all particles, including moisture and trace organics, leaving a stable hydrophilic surface on the substrates. The surface of silicon wafers is Si-O terminated, unless a hydrophobic surface is needed, in which case a 10 second conversion step after the ozone changes them to Si-H terminated.

An advantage to the dryer is the lack of VOCs in the exhaust. It supports initiatives for green chemistry, unlike dryers that consume isopropyl alcohol. The reactive chemistries used in the dryer make it particle reducing.

Modutek's engineering team has the expertise and experience to design the most effective wet processing equipment for cleaning or etching your application. Call for more information or a quote: 866-803-1533.