# US 11,897,005 B2 · Nozzle, substrate processing apparatus including the same, and substrate processing method

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- Number: US 11,897,005 B2
- Document ID: US11897005B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/987,062
- Filed: 2022-11-15
- Published: 2023-03-09
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-02
- Assignees: Semes Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Semes Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Sunmi Kim; Oh Jin Kwon; Sehyeong Choi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897005B2

## CPC

- B08B 3/02: Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
- B08B 3/10: with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration
- B08B 6/00: Cleaning by electrostatic means
- B08B 7/04: by a combination of operations
- H01J 37/32: Gas-filled discharge tubes (heating by discharge H05B)
- H05H 1/2443: {the plasma fluid flowing through a dielectric tube}
- H05H 1/246: {the plasma being activated using external electrodes (H05H1/245 takes precedence)}
- H05H 1/2465: {the plasma being activated by inductive coupling, e.g. using coiled electrodes}
- H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles}
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- H05H: PLASMA TECHNIQUE (apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays H05G2/00); PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

The inventive concept provides a nozzle for dispensing a treatment liquid in which plasma is generated. The nozzle includes a body having an interior space, a liquid supply unit that supplies the treatment liquid into the interior space, and electrodes that generate the plasma in the interior space. The liquid supply unit supplies the treatment liquid in a bubbling state into the interior space, or causes the treatment liquid to bubble in the interior space.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
a housing having a processing space;
a support unit configured to support the substrate in the processing space; and
a liquid dispensing unit including a nozzle configured to dispense a treatment liquid onto the substrate supported on the support unit,
wherein the nozzle includes,
a body having an interior space,
a liquid supply unit configured to supply the treatment liquid into the interior space,
a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into the interior space, and
electrodes configured to generate plasma in the interior space,
wherein the liquid supply unit is configured to supply the treatment liquid in a bubbling state into the interior space, or cause the treatment liquid to bubble in the interior space,
the body includes an insulator wall defining a recess at an upper portion of the body,
a first electrode from among the electrodes is in the recess, and
a second electrode from among the electrodes surrounds an exterior of the body.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid supply unit includes:
a liquid supply source; and
a liquid supply line configured to receive the treatment liquid from the liquid supply source,
wherein the body includes a liquid inlet port connected with the liquid supply line, and
wherein the liquid inlet port is provided such that the treatment liquid introduced into the interior space from the liquid inlet port collides with an inner wall of the body to bubble in the interior space.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the liquid inlet port is provided to be oblique when viewed from a front of the body.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a controller configured to control the liquid dispensing unit,
wherein the gas supply unit includes,
a gas supply source, and
a gas supply line configured to receive the gas from the gas supply source,
wherein a gas inlet port connected with the gas supply line is formed in the body, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the gas supply source such that a type of the gas supplied into the interior space is changed depending on a type of the substrate to be processed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body includes a dispensing opening for dispensing the treatment liquid onto the substrate, which is supported on the support unit, in a manner of a stream.

### Claim 6

A nozzle for dispensing a treatment liquid in which plasma is generated, the nozzle comprising:
a body having an interior space;
a liquid supply unit configured to supply the treatment liquid into the interior space; and
electrodes configured to generate the plasma in the interior space,
wherein the liquid supply unit is configured to supply the treatment liquid in a bubbling state into the interior space, or cause the treatment liquid to bubble in the interior space,
the body includes an insulator wall defining a recess at an upper portion of the body,
a first electrode from among the electrodes is in the recess, and
a second electrode from among the electrodes surrounds an exterior of the body.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The nozzle of claim 6, wherein the liquid supply unit includes:
a liquid supply source; and
a liquid supply line configured to receive the treatment liquid from the liquid supply source,
wherein the body include a liquid inlet port connected with the liquid supply line, and
wherein the liquid inlet port is provided such that the treatment liquid introduced into the interior space from the liquid inlet port collides with an inner wall of the body to bubble in the interior space.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The nozzle of claim 7, wherein the liquid inlet port is provided to be oblique when viewed from a front of the body.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The nozzle of claim 6, further comprising:
a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into the interior space.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The nozzle of claim 9, further comprising:
a controller configured to control the liquid supply unit,
wherein the gas supply unit includes,
a gas supply source, and
a gas supply line configured to receive the gas from the gas supply source,
wherein the body includes a gas inlet port connected with the gas supply line, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the gas supply source such that a type of the gas supplied into the interior space is changed depending on a type of a substrate to be processed.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The nozzle of claim 6, wherein the body includes a dispensing opening for dispensing the treatment liquid in a manner of a stream.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first electrode or the second electrode is configured to move to change a discharge region of the interior space in which the plasma is generated.

### Claim 13 (depends on 6)

The nozzle of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first electrode or the second electrode is configured to move to change a discharge region of the interior space in which the plasma is generated.