An apparatus, system and method for preventing premature drying of a surface of a substrate between fabrication operations includes receiving a substrate for cleaning, performing wet cleaning operations to the surface of the substrate to remove contaminants and fabrication chemistries left behind during one or more fabrication operations from the surface of the substrate, identifying a saturated gas chemistry and applying the identified saturated gas chemistry in a transition region such that the surface of the substrate exposed to the saturated gas chemistry in the transition region retains the moisture thereby preventing the surface of the substrate from premature drying. The saturated gas chemistry is applied between two subsequent wet-cleaning operations.