ST 270 SRD

Spin rinse dryers are a class of equipment that removes process chemicals and particulate residues from wafers by rinsing with deionized water and then spinning the wafers at high speed to dry them through centrifugal force and often with heated nitrogen.

A spin rinse dryer operates by placing wafers on a rotating chuck inside a sealed chamber. Deionized water is sprayed onto the wafers while the chuck spins, flushing away chemical residues from prior wet processes. After the rinse cycle, the spinning speed increases and nitrogen gas is typically introduced to accelerate drying and prevent water spots. The chamber may be heated to enhance drying efficiency.

Spin rinse dryers are used after wet cleaning or wet etching steps where wafers have been immersed in chemical baths. The machine serves as the final drying station before wafers move to subsequent processes such as oxidation, deposition, or lithography. In a typical fab flow, the SRD follows a wet bench or single-wafer cleaning tool.

Spin rinse dryers are employed in semiconductor fabrication for cleaning and drying wafers after photoresist stripping, post-etch residue removal, or pre-diffusion cleans. The equipment ensures surfaces are free of contaminants and moisture, which is critical for yield in subsequent high-temperature or deposition processes.