Systems and Methods for Treating Substrates with Cryogenic Fluid Mixtures
AssigneeTel Fsi, Inc.
InventorsJeffery W. Butterbaugh, Chimaobi W. Mbanaso, David Scott Becker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for treating the surface of a microelectronic substrate, and in particular, relate to an apparatus and method for scanning the microelectronic substrate through a cryogenic fluid mixture used to treat an exposed surface of the microelectronic substrate. The fluid mixture may be expanded through a nozzle to form an aerosol spray or gas cluster jet (GCJ) spray and may impinge the microelectronic substrate and remove particles from the microelectronic substrate's surface. In one embodiment, a two-stage gas nozzle may be used to expand a fluid mixture with a liquid phase concentration of greater than 10% by weight.
Claims20
A method for treating a microelectronic substrate, comprising
- receiving the microelectronic substrate in a vacuum process chamber comprising a fluid expansion component;
- supplying, to the fluid expansion component, a fluid mixture comprising:
- a temperature less than 273K;
- and
- a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure;
- providing the fluid mixture to the fluid expansion component such that at least a portion of the fluid mixture will contact the microelectronic substrate, the process chamber being maintained at a chamber pressure of 35 Torr or less;
- and
- maintaining a reservoir pressure in the fluid expansion component that is greater than the chamber pressure and less than the incoming pressure;
- maintaining an outlet pressure of the fluid expansion component that is greater than the chamber pressure and less than the reservoir pressure;
- and
- removing objects from the microelectronic substrate using the portion of the fluid mixture that contacts the microelectronic substrate.
A method for cleaning a microelectronic substrate, comprising
- receiving the microelectronic substrate in a vacuum process chamber comprising a gas expansion component comprising an inlet and an outlet;
- positioning the substrate opposite the gas expansion component within 10 mm of the outlet;
- supplying, to the gas expansion component, a gas mixture comprising:
- a temperature that is less than 273K;
- and
- a pressure that prevents liquid formation in the gas mixture at the temperature of the gas mixture;
- providing the gas mixture into the process chamber through the gas expansion component such that at least a portion of the gas mixture will contact the microelectronic substrate, the process chamber being maintained at a chamber pressure of 35 Torr or less;
- and
- removing objects from the microelectronic substrate using the portion of the gas mixture that contacts the microelectronic substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.