A new low-energy plasma cleaning (LEPC) process, a dry low-temperature process for wafer cleaning before epitaxial growth has been realized on a bridge type production system for 200 and 300 mm wafers. This cleaning technology enables the damage free removal of carbon and oxygen from the wafer surface in a dry process at low temperature (<200 degreesC). Epitaxial growth after LEPC demonstrates that the cleaning procedure does not damage the single crystalline structure of the wafer surface. Based on the same plasma source, a low-energy plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LEPECVD) process, a deposition process which allows deposition rates in the range between 0.01 and 10 nm/s at 550 degreesC, will be discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.