Aerodynamic aerosol chamber

An apparatus for cleaning the surface of a semiconductor wafer by impinging the surface with a cryogenic aerosol spray, said apparatus comprising:

• an aerosol chamber defining an interior space for receiving a semiconductor wafer to be cleaned within said aerosol chamber;
• a nozzle operatively supported within said aerosol chamber for connection with a supply of cleaning substance and from which cryogenic aerosol spray is to be directed;
• a chuck operatively supported within said aerosol chamber including means for supporting the semiconductor wafer with a surface thereof in a position for treatment, said chuck and said nozzle being relatively movable with respect to one another by a means for causing impingment over an area of the surface of the wafer, when supported on said chuck, with the aerosol spray;
• an exhaust from said aerosol chamber through which post-impingement aerosol spray can exit said aerosol chamber;
• and
• means for dividing said post-impingement aerosol spray into plural flow streams so that during the treatment of the area of the surface of the wafer, at least at some point, a first post-impingement stream flows over a portion of the surface of the wafer yet to be treated, while a second post-impingement stream flows over a portion of the surface of the wafer already having been treated.

A method of treating a surface of an object by jet impingement with an aerosol comprising:

• supporting the object on a chuck within an aerosol chamber of the type including a jet impingement nozzle and the chuck, the nozzle and the chuck being operatively supported within the aerosol chamber to be relatively movable with respect to one another, and an exhaust from the aerosol chamber through which post-impingement aerosol can exit the aerosol chamber;
• supplying treatment substance to the nozzle, spraying an aerosol jet stream from the nozzle and impinging the aerosol jet stream against the surface of the object;
• relatively moving the chuck and nozzle with respect to one another and thereby treating an area over at least a portion of the surface of the object by aerosol jet impingement;
• and
• while treating the area over at least a portion of the surface of the object, dividing the post-impingement aerosol flow into a first post-impingement stream that flows over a portion of the surface of the object yet to be treated and a second post-impingement stream that flows over a portion of the surface already having been treated.