Method and apparatus to enable droplet jet cleaning at elevated temperature

A method of cleaning a substrate, the method comprising:

• wetting a substrate surface with a wetting fluid from a wetting nozzle;
• supplying a gas at a gas mass flow rate and a gas temperature to an aerosol nozzle, the gas temperature between about 60° C. and about 100° C.;
• supplying a liquid at a liquid mass flow rate and a liquid temperature to the aerosol nozzle, wherein the gas temperature is greater than the liquid temperature and the liquid temperature between about 50° C. and about 80° C.;
• mixing the gas and the liquid in the aerosol nozzle to form a fluid mixture at a mixture temperature that is greater than about 35° C., wherein the mixture temperature is controlled by the gas mass flow rate and the liquid mass flow rate;
• spraying the fluid mixture at a surface of the substrate;
• translating the aerosol nozzle from a first point to a second point on the surface of the substrate, wherein a volumetric flow rate ratio of the gas to liquid the is 500 parts or more of the gas to 1 part liquid;
• and
• translating the aerosol nozzle from the second point to the first point, wherein the wetting fluid is supplied to the substrate surface while translating the aerosol nozzle from the second point to the first point.

A cleaning assembly for cleaning a substrate, the cleaning assembly comprising:

• a cleaning arm disposed above a substrate disposed on a substrate support, the cleaning arm comprising:
• an aerosol nozzle disposed on the cleaning arm, wherein the aerosol nozzle is configured to spray a fluid mixture toward the substrate;
• a heater coupled to the cleaning arm, the heater configured to heat a gas that flows to the aerosol nozzle;
• and
• a wetting nozzle coupled to the cleaning assembly configured to spray a wetting fluid toward the substrate support;
• and
• a controller, the controller comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause:
• a gas to be delivered to the aerosol nozzle at a first mass flow rate, the gas temperature between about 70° C. and about 90° C.;
• a liquid to be delivered to the aerosol nozzle at a second mass flow rate, the liquid temperature between about 50° C. and about 80° C.;
• mixing the gas and the liquid in the aerosol nozzle to form the fluid mixture, the controller configured to keep a fluid mixture temperature of not more than about 10° C. below the liquid temperature by controlling the first mass flow rate and the second mass flow rate, wherein the gas has a heat capacity and the liquid has a heat capacity different from the gas;
• and
• spraying the mixture of the gas and the liquid, wherein the sprayed mixture has a mixture heat capacity different that than the gas and the liquid.