Removal of process effluents

A method for cleaning and drying a substrate in a substrate cleaning and drying mechanism, the substrate cleaning and drying mechanism having a single chamber for both cleaning and drying operations, the method comprising:

• mounting a substrate vertically in the substrate cleaning and drying mechanism;
• at least partially surrounding the substrate between a first vertically-oriented rotatable shield and a first vertically-oriented rotatable shield;
• rotating the substrate at a first rotational-velocity;
• spraying at least one liquid onto at least a first face of the substrate;
• spinning a first vertically-oriented rotatable shield at a first-shield rotational-velocity;
• spinning a second vertically-oriented rotatable shield at a second-shield rotational-velocity;
• spinning a substantially planar and vertically-oriented turbine disk at a turbine-disk rotational velocity, the turbine disk having a plurality of spaced-apart fins, each of the fins being separated from adjacent fins by an opening formed within and near a periphery of the turbine disk;
• evacuating the at least one liquid and other process effluents away from both the substrate and a volume between the inner shield and the outer shield surrounding the substrate by use of the spinning turbine disk;
• and
• increasing the first rotational-velocity of the substrate.

A substrate cleaning and drying apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

• a vertical substrate holder configured to hold and rotate the substrate at various speeds;
• an inner shield and an outer shield configured to surround the vertical substrate holder during operation of the apparatus, each of the inner shield and the outer shield being configured to operate vertically and independently from each other in at least one of rotational speed and direction from the other shield;
• a front-side spray jet, a back-side spray jet, and at least one edge jet, each of the front-side spray jet and the back-side spray jet being configured to spray at least one fluid onto both sides, respectively, of the substrate substantially concurrently, and the at least one edge jet being configured to spray edges of the substrate substantially concurrently with the spraying of both sides of the substrate;
• and
• at least one substantially-planar turbine disk coupled vertically and in proximity to each of the inner shield and the outer shield, respectively, and configured to remove an excess amount of the at least one fluid, the at least one turbine disk having a plurality of spaced-apart fins, each of the fins being separated from adjacent fins by an opening formed within and near a periphery of the turbine disk, the fins being arranged to evacuate the at least one fluid and other process effluents away from both the substrate and a volume between the inner shield and the outer shield surrounding the substrate.