Apparatus and method for in-situ removal of polymer residue

A method for in-situ removal an etching residue to increase a process throughput comprising the steps of:

• providing a wafer cleaning chamber adjacent to a reactive ion etch chamber;
• controlling an ambient in the wafer cleaning chamber and reactive ion etch chamber;
• providing a remote handling means whereby a process wafer is transferred from the reactive ion etch chamber to the wafer cleaning chamber under controllable ambient conditions;
• transferring by remote handling means at least one process wafer following a reactive ion etch process from the reactive ion etch chamber to the wafer cleaning chamber under controllable ambient conditions;
• providing at least one solution container disposed outside the wafer cleaning chamber;
• providing at least one solution bath disposed within the wafer cleaning chamber;
• providing a solution in the at least one solution container;
• providing at least one fluidic pathway in communication with the at least one solution container and the at least one solution bath for supplying the solution to the at least one solution bath;
• controllably supplying the solution from the at least one solution container to the at least one solution bath;
• immersing the at least one process wafer into the at least one solution bath;
• and,
• drying the at least one process wafer.