The current proliferation of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) h
as driven the need for a reliable method of removing particles from si
licon wafers. Current mechanical brush scrubber systems are capable of
reducing particle counts to acceptable levels. Mechanical, chemical,
and electrical forces need to be controlled to optimize removal from v
arious surfaces. Though post-CMP clean is the main current industry re
quirement, other standard semiconductor processing steps can benefit f
rom brush scrubbing as well.