Single wafer cleaning and drying: particle removal via a non-contact, non-damaging megasonic clean followed by a high performance "Rotagoni" dry

The application of megasonic energy for particle removal has been shown to be a very effective, noncontact cleaning method. Equally as important to the cleaning of the wafer surface is the drying process. A very common method is a high speed spin dry but this is ineffective both from a particle reduction and water-mark prevention standpoint. A high performance alternative is the "Rotagoni" dry based on rotational and Marangoni forces. The combination of these two techniques provides an effective platform to clean and dry wafers. Results on post-oxide CMP cleans indicates equivalent cleaning to a standard scrub clean with a reduced COO and tool footprint. Post Cu-CMP megasonic clean using proprietary cleaning chemistry followed by a "Rotagoni" dry is also very effective for particle removal. Additionally, the patterned Cu surface is free of corrosion. The Rotagoni dry is also very effective for patterned hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Following a HF clean, water-marks are not present on "Rotagoni" dried wafers but are present on spin dried wafers.