Delivery of dissolved ozone

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates in general to semiconductor surface preparation, and in particular to the use of dissolved ozone to perform cleaning, etching, and stripping operations.

#2. Background

#The present invention is described in more detail below in connection with the attached drawings, which are meant to illustrate and not to limit the invention, and in which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of a pulsing process according to one embodiment of the invention;

#FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic of an ozone shower system, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

#While illustrated in the context of using ozone to strip photoresist from a semiconductor wafer, the skilled artisan will find application for delivery of highly concentrated dissolved ozone in a wide variety of contexts. For example, the disclosed delivery of highly concentrated dissolved ozone has utility in many cleaning, etching, and stripping processes involved in the fabrication of a wide variety of workpieces. For example, the delivery of highly concentrated dissolved ozone has utility in PC Board fabrication and the like.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of a pulsing process 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. According to the pulsing process 10, Step S1 introduces a reagent into an environment where the reagent can react. Step S2 activates a solution spray. Step S3 deactivates the solution spray. Decision S4 determines if enough time has elapsed to substantially complete a desired reaction. If enough time has elapsed, the pulsing process 10 ends. However, if more time is required, the pulsing process 10 returns to Step S2, activates the solution spray, and repeats the steps disclosed above.

#According to one embodiment, the reagent is ozone being introduced into the environment for any of a wide variety of reasons. For example, in the semiconductor fabrication industry, the ozone could be used to clean or sterilize the workpiece. The ozone could also be used to etch a semiconductor layer on, or strip another layer from the workpiece. According to one embodiment, the ozone strips a photoresist layer from the semiconductor wafer.