# US 2019/0378729 A1 · Removal of process effluents > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0378729 A1 - Document ID: US20190378729A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/478,407 - Filed: 2018-02-06 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-02-06 - Assignees: Planar Semiconductor, Inc. - Applicants: Planar Semiconductor, Inc. - Inventors: Rubinder S. RANDHAWA; Harry CHRISTOV - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190378729A1 ## CPC - H10P 72/0408: {for drying} - B08B 3/022: {Cleaning travelling work (B08B3/042 takes precedence)} - H10P 70/20: {Cleaning during device manufacture} - H10P 72/0406: {for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like} - H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles} - H10P 72/0462: {characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers} - B08B 2203/002: the liquid being a degassed liquid - B08B 2203/0264: Splash guards - B08B 2203/027: Pump details - H10P 72/7608: {characterised by a plurality of separate clamping members, e.g. clamping fingers} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL ## Abstract Various embodiments comprise apparatuses and related method for cleaning and drying a substrate. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a vertical substrate holder to hold and rotate the substrate at various speeds. An inner shield and outer shield, when in a closed position, surround the vertical substrate holder during operation of the apparatus. Each of the shields can operate independently in at least one of rotational speed and direction from the other shield. A front-side and back-side spray jet are arranged to spray at least one fluid onto both sides of the substrate and edges of the substrate substantially concurrently. A gas flow, combined with a high rotational-speed of the shields and substrate, assists in drying the substrate. At least one turbine disk is coupled in proximity to at least one of the shields to remove excess amounts of fluid. Additional apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses are disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate cleaning and drying apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a vertical substrate holder configured to hold and rotate the substrate vertically at various speeds; an inner shield and an outer shield configured to at least partially 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 and a back-side spray 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 of the substrate and edges of the substrate substantially concurrently; and at least one substantially-planar turbine disk coupled vertically and in proximity to at least one of the inner shield and the outer shield 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an outer chamber to contain the at least one fluid and the other process effluents. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the outer chamber includes a drain channel to collect liquid evacuated from the vertical substrate cleaning and drying chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to clean both faces of the substrate, as well as an edge of the substrate, substantially simultaneously. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one array of the front-side spray jet array and the back-side spray jet array includes spray jets arranged to deliver a continuous-liquid spray of one or more liquids to the substrate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one array of the front-side spray jet array and the back-side spray jet array includes spray jets arranged to deliver a pulsed-liquid spray of one or more liquids to the substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one array of the front-side spray jet array and the back-side spray jet array includes spray jets arranged to deliver at least one of continuous-liquid sprays and pulsed-liquid sprays of one or more liquids to the substrate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one array of the front-side spray jet array and the back-side spray jet array includes spray jets arranged to deliver both continuous-liquid sprays and pulsed-liquid sprays of one or more liquids to the substrate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pulsed-liquid spray jets are considered as gasless pulsed-jets. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a diaphragm pump to produce gasless pulsed-jets. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a variable-frequency drive coupled to supply power to the diaphragm pump. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the variable-frequency drive is configured to operate in a 1 Hz to 10 Hz frequency range to produce atomized droplets from the spray jets. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second turbine disk coupled in proximity to a remaining one of the inner shield and the outer shield that does not have the at least one turbine disk coupled in proximity thereto. ### Claim 14 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. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the turbine-disk rotational velocity and a direction of the turbine disk are both the same as at least one of the first-shield rotational-velocity and a direction of the first rotatable shield and second-shield rotational-velocity and a direction of the second rotatable shield. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising spraying the at least one liquid onto both faces and an edge of the substrate substantially simultaneously. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the first-shield rotational-velocity and the second-shield rotational-velocity are about the same as each other. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the first-shield rotational-velocity and the second-shield rotational-velocity are different from one another. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein a direction of the first-shield rotational-velocity and a direction of the second-shield rotational-velocity are the same as each other. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein a direction of the first-shield rotational-velocity and a direction of the second-shield rotational-velocity are different from one another. ### Claim 21 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising increasing the first-shield rotational-velocity to begin drying the substrate. ### Claim 22 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising increasing the second-shield rotational-velocity to begin drying the substrate. ### Claim 23 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising increasing the turbine-disk rotational-velocity to begin drying the substrate. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the first-shield rotational-velocity, the second-shield rotational-velocity, and the turbine-disk rotational velocity are each ramped up from about 100 rpm to about 2200 rpm during a high-speed spin to dry the substrate. ### Claim 25 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a gas exhaust from the substrate cleaning and drying mechanism during a cleaning cycle. ### Claim 26 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. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein the fins of the plurality of turbine disks are configured to increase fluid-removal efficiency during a rotational period of the plurality of turbine disks. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein the substrate cleaning and drying apparatus has a center exhaust located between the inner shield and the outer shield for removing the at least one fluid and other process effluents. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein the substrate cleaning and drying apparatus has a side exhaust on at least one of the inner shield and the outer shield for removing the at least one fluid and other process effluents. ### Claim 30 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein peripheral edges of the inner shield and the outer shield each have one or more angles on respective outermost peripheral edges to redirect the at least one fluid including moisture and the other process effluents away from the substrate. ### Claim 31 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein peripheral edges of the inner shield and the outer shield are curved. ### Claim 32 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein the front-side spray jet array and the back-side spray jet array are arranged to cover at least the entire diameter of the substrate on each face of the substrate thereby providing liquid to each entire face once the substrate has been rotated. ### Claim 33 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, further comprising one or more edge-jets to be directed separately at an edge of the substrate to perform enhanced edge cleaning. ### Claim 34 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein blades on the turbine disk have a straight cross-section and are angled, relative to an axis-of-rotation of the turbine disk. ### Claim 35 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein blades on the turbine disk have an elliptical cross-section and are angled, relative to an axis-of-rotation of the turbine disk. ### Claim 36 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein blades on the turbine disk have a curved cross-section and are angled, relative to an axis-of-rotation of the turbine disk. ### Claim 37 (depends on 26) The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus of claim 26, wherein blades on the turbine disk have a cross-section that is formed as a series of straight edges with varying angles, an average angle of the varying angles being angled overall, relative to an axis-of-rotation of the turbine disk.