Methods for particle removal by single-phase and two-phase media

A method of removing contaminants from a surface of a patterned substrate for defining integrated circuit devices, comprising:

• dispensing a cleaning material on the patterned substrate, wherein the cleaning material is made of a solvent, a buffering agent to change a potential of hydrogen (pH) value of the cleaning material, and polymers of polyacrylamide (PAM) with a molecular weight greater than or equal to 500,000 g/mol, wherein the buffering agent and the solvent form a cleaning solution, wherein the polymers become soluble in the cleaning solution to form the cleaning material, the cleaning material having less than 1 ppb of metallic contaminants before being applied on the surface of the patterned substrate and pH value between about 7 and about 12, the solubilized polymers having long polymer chains to capture and entrap at least some of the contaminants from the surface of the patterned substrate for defining integrated circuit devices, the cleaning material being defined as a liquid phase, wherein the cleaning material deforms around device features on the surface of the patterned substrate when a force is applied on the cleaning material covering the patterned substrate, the cleaning material being applied on the surface of the patterned substrate to remove contaminants from the surface without substantially damaging the device features on the surface, the cleaning material being substantially free of abrasive particles before the cleaning material is applied on the surface of the patterned substrate;
• and
• rising the cleaning material from the patterned substrate with a rinse liquid, wherein the contaminants on the surface of the patterned substrate are removed along with the cleaning material.

A method of removing contaminants from a surface of a patterned substrate for making integrated circuit devices, comprising:

• preparing a cleaning material, wherein the cleaning material includes polymers of a polymeric compound with a molecular weight greater than 10,000 g/mol, and wherein the polymers become soluble in a cleaning solution to form the cleaning material, wherein the cleaning material is purified to have less than 1 ppb metallic contaminants, the solubilized polymers having long polymer chains to capture and entrap at least some of the contaminants from the surface of the patterned substrate for making integrated circuit devices, the cleaning material being defined as a liquid phase;
• applying the cleaning material on the surface of the patterned substrate, wherein the cleaning material deforms around device features on the surface of the patterned substrate when a force is applied on the cleaning material covering the patterned substrate, the cleaning material being applied on the surface of the patterned substrate to remove contaminants from the surface without substantially damaging the device features on the surface, the cleaning material being substantially free of solids before the cleaning material is applied on the surface of the patterned substrate;
• and
• dispensing a rinse liquid on the surface of the patterned substrate to rinse off the cleaning material along with the contaminants removed from the surface of the patterned substrate.