Patent ID: 7856939

Claim:
A spin coater system comprising: A spin coating bowl adapted to receive a work piece to be coated therein, wherein the work piece to be coated is mounted for rotation within the spin coating bowl, wherein the spin coating bowl includes a substantially closed top and side portions and a work piece access opening on a bottom facing portion of the spin coating bowl, and wherein the spin coating bowl includes diverging inner side walls that diverge in a radial outward direction extending from the upper end to the lower end of the spin coating bowl; a source of coating material; a coating nozzle adapted to be coupled to the source of coating material; A wetting fluid chamber associated with the upper end of the inner side walls wherein the wetting fluid chamber is configured to dispense a side wall wetting fluid to inner side walls of the spin coating bowl at least during operation of the nozzle, and wherein the wetting fluid chamber is an annular chamber around the upper end of the inner side walls which is coupled to the source of coating material, whereby the coating material also forms the side wall wetting fluid; and A vision system configured to capture images of the interior of the spin coating bowl.