Pressurized liquid diffuser
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorL. Brian Dunn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a diffuser for wet processing systems involved in the manufacturing of semiconductor wafers. The diffuser includes a plenum section and a slitted section. Pressurized fluid from the plenum section is forced through the slitted section and across a plurality of wafers mounted in the wet processing system. One advantage is that by “diffusing” pressurized fluid through the slitted section, a generally uniform and/or laminar flow is achieved. Desirably, the diffuser provides a more reliable, and hence more cost-effective, technology for wet processing fabrication of semiconductor wafers.
Claims46
A pressurized liquid diffuser for a wet processing system, comprising:
- a plenum plate with a plurality of plenums configured to receive a supply of liquid, the plenums being generally rectangular in shape and fabricated from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF);
- and
- a slitted plate in mechanical and fluid communication with the plenum plate, the slitted plate being configured to pressurize the liquid within the plenum plate, the slitted plate being generally rectangular in shape and comprising a plurality of rows of slits, wherein the slits are arranged to form an slit pattern that varies between at least two rows.
A sparger comprising:
- a first section with a plurality of plenums adapted to receive a supply of fluid;
- and
- a second section in communication with the first section and including a generally staggered slit pattern to pressurize the fluid within the first section, the slit pattern including a plurality of rows of slits arranged in a repetitive alternating pattern with each row including one or more of the slits.
A distributor for a semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a plate having a plurality of slots arranged in rows, a plurality of the rows having at least one central slot, the central slots of at least two rows having different lengths.
A distributor for a semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a plate having a plurality of slots arranged in rows, a plurality of the rows having at least one end slot, the end slots of at least two rows having different lengths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.