Semiconductor fabrication methods and apparatus

A method for semiconductor wafer fabrication, the method comprising:

• selecting a liquid solvent that is inert to a material on a surface of a wafer;
• forming a mist of liquid solvent droplets above the surface of the wafer;
• selecting a reactant gas that is capable of chemically reacting with the material on the surface of the wafer and exposing the reactant gas to the liquid solvent droplets;
• forming, on the surface of the wafer, a film of the liquid solvent and exposing the film to the reactant gas so that the reactant gas is transported through the film to the material on the surface of the wafer;
• and
• cooling the wafer to a temperature equal to or less than about a dew point of the liquid solvent.

A method of semiconductor fabrication, the method comprising:

• selecting a liquid solvent that is inert to a material on a surface of a wafer;
• selecting a reactant gas that is capable of chemically-reacting with the material on the surface of the wafer and incorporating the reactant gas into the liquid solvent;
• showering the liquid solvent incorporating the reactant gas onto the surface of the wafer and exposing the liquid solvent to the reactant gas so that the reactant gas chemically reacts with the material on the surface of the wafer;
• and
• controlling the temperature at or near the surface of the wafer so that the temperature at or near the surface of the wafer is less than the temperature of the showering liquid solvent.

A method for removing photoresist material from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:

• selecting a liquid that does not chemically react with photoresist material;
• cooling the wafer:
• forming a layer of the liquid on a surface of the wafer having photoresist material thereon;
• introducing ozone gas over the layer of liquid such that some of the flowing ozone gas is transported through the layer of liquid to the surface of the wafer;
• and
• reacting the ozone gas transported to the surface of the wafer with the photoresist material on the wafer surface.