Refer to the Material and Process Compatibility page for information on materials compatible with this tool.
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iLab Name: RCA Hood & Spin Rinse Dryer
iLab Kiosk: BRK Utility Core
FIC: Shared
Owner: Rich Hosler
Location: Cleanroom - R Bay
Maximum Wafer Size: 4"/100 mm

Overview

See Also: Cleaning

General Description

The RCA cleaning process was developed to remove organic contaminants, oxide layers, and ionic contamination from silicon wafers prior to subsequent processing steps. This hood and spin rinse dryer combination allows for the procedure to be performed much more quickly and effectively than inside a standard hood. The hood is a Kinetics Celera ventilated polypropylene wet bench with a quick dump rinse tank, two heated baths, one standard bath, digital controls for drainage and heating, nitrogen gun, and UPW water gun. The Semitool Spin Rinse Dryer is designed to rinse a cassette of 4" wafers with UPW water until clean, followed by a spin dry process. 

RCA Cleaning Procedure

SC1 – Organic and Particle Clean

A mixture of UPW, NH₄OH (Ammonium Hydroxide 29%), and H₂O₂ (Hydrogen Peroxide 30%) at approximately 80°C removes organic residues and particles.

HF – Oxide Strip

A mixture of HF (Hydrofluoric Acid 49%) and UPW at ambient temperature removes thin oxide layers and some ionic contaminants.

SC2 – Ionic Clean

A mixture of UPW, HCl (Hydrochloric Acid 37%), and H₂O₂ (Hydrogen Peroxide 30%) at approximately 80°C removes remaining metallic (ionic) contaminants and leaves a thin passivizing layer on the surface.

Equipment Specifications

• SC1 & SC2 Baths
  • Bath temperature - maximum of 85°C, thermally alarmed. 
  • Drain controller with temperature lockout - system will not drain above 45°C.
• HF Dip Bath
  • Manual drain control
• Quick Dump Rinse
  • Above & Below rinse/fill controller with automated dump and fill cycle control
• Dedicated chemical storage cabinet and peroxide fridge.
• Dedicated PPE station
• Spin Rinse Dryer - Resistivity controlled UPW rinse controller, 300-1800RPM rotational speed.

Sample Requirements and Preparation

• DO NOT USE III-V SUBSTRATE MATERIALS IN THIS HOOD!
• Max Wafer Size: 4"/100 mm for cassette cleaning and spin drying
• 5-part 1x1cm piece holder

Standard Operating Procedure

Effective 12/5/2019

Questions & Troubleshooting

RCA Cleaning Hood and Spin Rinse Dryer SOP:

RCA Cleaning Protocol V4.pdf

Problem: The bath heater won’t start.

• Solution 1: The bath level may be too low to begin. Ensure you have added enough liquid and clear the alarm reset panel.
• Solution 2: The drain control is open. Close it via the control panel.
• Solution 3: The heater limit has tripped due to a previous overtemperature. Press the ‘bath limit reset’ button and clear the alarms from the control panel.

Process Library

References

• Handbook of Silicon Wafer Cleaning Technology – Karen Reinhardt, Werner Kern, 2008
• Handbook of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Robert Doering and Yoshio Nishi, 2007.
• Birck Nanotech Wiki – Cleaning Page