Wet Benches are used in a Wafer Fab to clean debris and/or to etch away unwanted or no longer needed films from wafers. They are also used to prepare a wafers' surface for the next step in the overall process. Less sophisticated wet benches are often used in a Fab to clean quartz and other semiconductor equipment parts. Wet Benches are generally manufactured for compatibility with Acid or Base chemistries. Base chemistry wet benches are often called Solvent Benches. You can recognize a Solvent Bench immediately because it's made of stainless steel. It will generally have integrated fire suppression due to the dangerous flash points of solvents. ACID WET BENCHES are far more plentiful in the Fab and they are constructed of PLASTIC.
Most Fabs require acid wet benches to be made of Factory Mutual approved plastics like FM4910. This fire-safe plastic is expensive but it is often required to qualify for insurance. A wet bench is one of multiple baths (tanks) sized to accommodate the submersion of a batch or "lot" of wafers. Types include; In Line Linear - Rotary Benches - Front to Back - Once Through Bath. Professional Plastics offers a full line of standard and FM Approved wet bench and wet process materials used in the semiconductor industry including; PP, CP7D, PVDF, PFA, Halar®, PVC, PVC-C, CPVC, PTFE & more. Products are available in Sheets, Rods, Welding Rods, Tubing & Fabricated Parts.
