Patent ID: 7451774

Claim:
An apparatus for wet processing the device side of individual wafers, comprising: an acoustic energy generator comprising a platter having a frontside and a backside, and one or more acoustic wave transducers mounted on the platter backside; a wafer bracket for positioning a wafer having a device side and a non-device side over the acoustic energy generator such that the device side of the wafer is distal to the acoustic energy generator and the non-device side of the wafer is proximate to the acoustic energy generator; a device for rotating the wafer bracket relative to the platter; a first liquid dispenser for flowing a first liquid between and contacting both said acoustic energy generator and said wafer, so that the first liquid can transfer acoustic energy from the acoustic energy generator to the non-device side of the wafer; and a second liquid dispenser for flowing a processing liquid from the second liquid dispenser and onto said device side of the wafer; wherein the acoustic energy that can be transferred to the non-device side of the wafer can be transferred to the device side of the wafer having a frequency and intensity at the device side of the wafer to improve the cleaning performance of the processing liquid on the device side of the wafer, while also minimizing an associated risk of damage to devices on the wafer due to the acoustic energy acting on the device side of the wafer.