Procedure for the drying of silicon
AssigneeIctop Entwicklungs GmbH
InventorsWilhelm Schellenberger, Dieter Herrmannsdorfer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a procedure applicable for drying substrate surfaces of a large number of materials, such as semiconductors, metals, plastics and, in particular, silicon. The silicon (1) is dipped into a liquid bath (2) and the silicon (1) is separated from the liquid (3), the liquid of the bath (2) consisting of an aqueous HF solution (3) with a concentration between 0.001 and 50%. By adding a gas mixture containing O.sub.2 /O.sub.3 immediately after the drying process is finished, the silicon surface is hydrophilized. By adding a gas mixture containing O.sub.2 /O.sub.3 during the drying process, cleaning takes place as the ozone enters the solution on the liquid surface.
Claims34
A method of drying a substrate surface, comprising:
- dipping the substrate into a liquid bath, the liquid comprising the bath having a surface tension;
- passing over the surface of the liquid bath a gas including O.sub.3, the O.sub.3 being soluble in the liquid to create an O.sub.3 concentration gradient therein and lowering the surface tension of the liquid when dissolved therein;
- and
- separating the substrate and the liquid at a rate such that a surface tension gradient associated with the concentration gradient of the dissolved O.sub.3 adjacent to the substrate surface dries the substrate upon separation;
- where the gas has an O.sub.3 concentration of 0.1 mg/L or greater.
A method of creating a dry, hydrophilic surface on a substrate including silicon upon removal of the substrate from a wet processing bath including an aqueous HF solution, the method comprising:
- dipping the substrate into the wet processing bath thereby causing the the substrate surface to be hydrophobic;
- separating the substrate from the bath, the substrate surface being hydrophobic upon separation from the bath, the substrate being separated from the bath at a rate that permits the bath liquid to drain from the surface of the substrate to produce a dry substrate;
- and
- directing over the surface of the substrate after separating the substrate from the bath a gas including an O.sub.2 /O.sub.3 mixture that creates a hydrophilic surface on the substrate;
- where the gas has an O.sub.3 concentration of 0.1 mg/L or greater.
A method of creating a dry, hydrophilic surface on a substrate including silicon upon removal of the substrate from a wet processing bath including an aqueous HF solution, the method comprising:
- dipping the substrate into the wet processing bath;
- separating the substrate from the bath, the substrate surface being hydrophobic upon separation from the bath, wherein the relative speed of separation between the silicon and the surface of the aqueous HF solution is between about 0.1 cm/sec and about 20 cm/sec, thereby permitting the bath liquid to drain from the surface of the substrate to produce a dry substrate;
- and
- directing over the surface of the substrate after separating the substrate;
- where the gas has an O.sub.3 concentration of 0.1 mg/L or greater from the bath a gas that includes an O.sub.2 /O.sub.3 mixture to create a hydrophilic surface on the substrate.
A method of drying a substrate surface and making it hydrophilic, comprising:
- dissolving O.sub.3 in the liquid bath;
- dipping the substrate into a liquid bath;
- contacting the surface with the dissolved O.sub.3 gas to cause the surface to become hydrophilic;
- passing a gas including O.sub.3 over the liquid bath;
- and
- separating the substrate and the liquid at a rate such that the liquid drains from the surface because of a difference in surface tension between the liquid at different points in the bath near the substrate surface, thereby drying the surface;
- where the gas has an O.sub.3 concentration of 0.1 mg/L or greater.
A method of creating a dry, hydrophilic surface on a substrate upon removal of the substrate from a wet processing bath, the method comprising:
- dipping the substrate into a wet processing bath that includes a substance that causes the substrate surface to be hydrophobic;
- separating the substrate from the bath, the substrate surface being hydrophobic upon separation from the bath, the substrate being separated from the bath at a rate that permits the bath liquid to drain from the surface of the substrate to produce a dry substrate;
- and
- directing over the surface of the substrate after separating the substrate from the bath a gas including O.sub.3 to create a hydrophilic surface on the substrate;
- where the gas has an O.sub.3 concentration of 0.1 mg/L or greater.
A method of drying a substrate surface and making it hydrophilic, comprising:
- dipping the substrate into a liquid bath;
- contacting the surface with a gas that includes O.sub.3 and that causes the surface to become hydrophilic;
- and
- separating the substrate and the liquid at a rate such that the liquid drains from the substrate surface, thereby drying the surface, the substrate surface being hydrophobic as it separates from the liquid and becoming hydrophilic upon contact with the gas after separation from the liquid;
- where the gas has an O.sub.3 concentration of 0.1 mg/L or greater.
A method of drying a substrate surface and making it hydrophilic, comprising:
- dipping the substrate into a liquid bath;
- separating the substrate and the liquid at a rate such that the liquid drains from the substrate surface, thereby drying the surface;
- passing an O.sub.2 /O.sub.3 gas mixture over the substrate surface, thereby causing the surface to become hydrophilic, the substrate surface being hydrophobic as it separates from the liquid and becoming hydrophilic upon contact with the gas after separation from the liquid;
- where the gas has an O.sub.3 concentration of 0.1 mg/L or greater.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.