Akrion Inc., a supplier of semiconductor surface preparation equipment based in Allentown, Pa., announced it recently shipped a Velocity single-wafer cleaning system to a major integrated circuit (IC) device manufacturer in Asia for an advanced pre-photolithography cleaning application. All IC device manufacturing includes several costly photolithography steps, and backside contaminants cause a number of problems for fabs, such as depth of field problems that cause pattern misprints. The Akrion cleaning application reduces the costs of IC device manufacturing by minimizing the photolithography rework that is typically required due to this contamination. The system shipped includes technology that can clean wafer fronts and backs in a single step.