EV Group and Dynaloy, LLC today introduced CoatsClean—an single-wafer photoresist and residue removal technology designed to address thick films and difficult-to-remove material layers for the 3D-ICs/through-silicon vias (TSVs), advanced packaging, MEMS and compound semiconductor markets.  In its official press release, EVG said CoatsClean provides a complete wafer cleaning solution that offers significant efficiency, performance and cost-of-ownership (CoO) advantages compared to traditional resist stripping and post-etch residue removal methods.

"Increasing wafer processing challenges associated with the adoption of new materials, device architectures and packaging schemes requires a new, holistic view of wafer cleaning, where the chemistry, process and equipment are all critically important and must be addressed in combination," stated Steven Dwyer, business director at Dynaloy.  "We’re pleased to be working with EV Group on developing and commercializing CoatsClean technology to meet the needs of our customers for a more cost-effective, flexible approach to thick-film resist removal."

The CoatsClean process and chemical formulation are engineered to perform at higher temperatures, resulting in faster stripping rates and cycle times.  This enables CoatsClean to operate as a single-wafer process for thick resist films and difficult-to-remove resists—resulting in improved performance, consistency, reproducibility and repeatability.  The engineered formulation also enables selective stripping of the resist.

CoatsClean is also unique in its ability to dispense a small amount of material on the top of the wafer, and then activate the material with direct heat.  This direct utilization of the material and heat dramatically reduces the strip material used.  CoatsClean uses fresh solution for each processed wafer compared to competing techniques that use an immersion bath—resulting in greater process efficiency and eliminating cross contamination.  The highly selective application of resist strip material eliminates damage to the wafer backside.  The entire CoatsClean process is performed in a single bowl, which reduces tool footprint.

"CoatsClean applies the right chemistry at the right process conditions to provide optimal cleaning results," stated Paul Lindner, EV Group’s executive technology director.  

EV Group will be responsible for selling the CoatsClean systems and providing customer support, while Dynaloy will be responsible for selling the CoatsClean resist stripping materials.  CoatsClean systems have already been installed for customer demonstrations, and EVG and Dynaloy are now accepting orders for the systems and resist stripping materials.