5 Important Things to Know Before Buying a Wet Bench Station

Wet benches used in semiconductor manufacturing have many variations and include unique features based on the application requirements. There are several main things to consider before deciding what equipment is best suited for a specific manufacturing task. These include the type of station, how it operates, how it receives its chemicals, and what specialized or custom features are required. Five main things influence which type of wet bench to buy. 

1)     Different types of wet bench process stations have different advantages – White polypropylene construction is used for acid and base process applications such as KOH and RCA clean. Solvent application wet benches for processes using acetone, IPA, and photo resist stripping have a stainless-steel construction. Stations come with a dry-to-dry process and can include a chemical fume hood.

2)     The degree of automation depends on the application – Manual stations are ideal for initial development work when the main process parameters are yet to be determined. Once the overall process has been set, semi-automatic stations can program the fixed parameters to run automatically. At the same time, some variables can be controlled manually for optimization processes. Once the process is fully developed, fully automated stations can be used to run the production line and increase throughput.

3)     Chemical delivery systems improve process control – Chemical delivery systems run and monitor chemical storage, delivery to the process, and disposal of chemical discharges.

4)     Rinsing and drying are critical for avoiding particle contamination – Particles on wafers cause product defects. Rinsing and drying are crucial step processes as they help reduce particles on wafers, which leads to improved process yields. Special configurations such as the combined rinsing and drying station and the quick dump rinser improve process efficiency and reduce the particle count.

5)     Special custom functionality can be built into standard stations – Semiconductor equipment manufacturers that produce their own wet bench process stations in-house can add custom functionality depending on the application. For instance, the application may require etching of aluminum layers on a wafer, and a special vacuum metal etcher may have to be incorporated in the wet bench process.

Read the complete article “5 Important Things to Know Before Buying a Wet Bench Station” to learn more about Modutek’s wet benches. If you have questions, or would like to schedule a free consultation to discuss your process requirements, contact Modutek at 866-803-1533.