Abstract: A method and apparatus for eliminating the exposure of semiconductor wafers to light during rinsing and drying in wafer cleaning machines having windows is used to reduce scrap and improve the reliability of the integrated circuit devices. An opaque window assembly or a light blocking material is applied to the transparent window to prevent ambient light from entering the processing chamber of the wafer cleaning machine and thereby eliminate light-induced galvanic corrosion produced during rinsing and drying of semiconductor wafers in wafer cleaning machines having windows. This makes the fabrication of advanced integrated circuit devices of increasingly smaller dimensions feasible by eliminating the degradation in reliability caused by light-induced galvanic corrosion produced during cleaning of the semiconductor wafers. The application of a light blocking material to the transparent windows of wafer cleaning machine is cost effective and easily implemented in existing wafer cleaning machines.

Abstract: Semiconductor integrated circuit processing is facilitated by an etch process illustratively applied to polysilicon and silicon nitride removal. The etch process illustratively comprises of the use of phosphoric acid with metal-containing additives to bring about an enhanced silicon etch rate effect.