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US 6,148,833 AGranted
Continuous cleaning megasonic tank with reduced duty cycle transducers
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsJianshe Tang, Brian J. Brown, Boris Fishkin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sonic tank for cleaning substrates is provided. The tank has two or more upwardly angled walls. Arrays of one or more transducers are positioned along at least two of the two or more angled walls. The transducer arrays are alternately energized maintaining nearly 100% substrate surface cleaning at any given time, and 50% duty cycle (or less) for each transducer array. The substrate supports are positioned such that nearly every point along the substrate's surface is contacted by energy from at least one transducer, and transducer opposing walls are positioned to avoid interfering reflections therefrom.
Claims30
A sonic cleaning tank for cleaning a thin disk comprising:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a thin disk to be cleaned thereby;
- and
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a thin disk to be cleaned thereby;
- a first wall positioned to receive direct energy from the first transducer array and to reflect in a non-interfering manner the energy received from the first transducer array;
- and
- a second wall positioned to receive direct energy from the second transducer array and to reflect in a non-interfering manner the energy received from the second transducer array.
4 more elements
A sonic cleaning tank for cleaning a substrate comprising:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- wherein the first upwardly angled wall and the second upwardly angled wall are bottom walls which join forming a 90.degree. angle;
- and
- a substrate support comprising two side supports positioned along opposite sides of the substrate so as not to shadow the same region of the substrate from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array, and one bottom support positioned along the substrate's baricenter so as not to shadow the same region of the substrate from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array.
3 more elements
A sonic cleaning tank for cleaning a substrate comprising:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a controller for individually energizing the first and the second transducer arrays;
- wherein the controller is programmed to individually energize the first and the second transducer arrays such that only one transducer array is energized at any given time;
- and
- a substrate support adapted to support the substrate and positioned so as not to shadow the same region of the substrate from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array.
4 more elements
An apparatus for cleaning a thin disk comprising:
- a tank having:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls;
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls;
- wherein the tank and the transducer arrays are configured to avoid interfering reflection;
- and
- a thin disk support adapted to support the thin disk and positioned along at least one side of the thin disk so as not to shadow the same region of the thin disk from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array.
4 more elements
A sonic cleaning tank for cleaning a substrate comprising:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a controller for individually energizing the first and the second transducer arrays;
- wherein the controller is programmed to individually energize the first and the second transducer arrays such that only one transducer array is energized at any given time;
- and
- a substrate support for contacting the substrate at two or more points, the substrate support being positioned so as not to shadow the same region of the substrate from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array.
4 more elements
A sonic cleaning tank for cleaning a substrate comprising:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a controller for individually energizing the first and the second transducer arrays;
- wherein the controller is programmed to individually energize the first and the second transducer arrays such that only one transducer array is energized at any given time;
- a first wall positioned to receive direct energy from the first transducer array and to reflect in a non-interfering manner the energy received from the first transducer array;
- and
- a second wall positioned to receive direct energy from the second transducer array and to reflect in a non-interfering manner the energy received from the second transducer array.
5 more elements
A sonic cleaning tank for cleaning a substrate comprising:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls, and extending a distance at least equal to the length of a substrate to be cleaned thereby;
- a controller for individually energizing the first and the second transducer arrays;
- wherein the controller is programmed to individually energize the first and the second transducer arrays such that only one transducer array is energized at any given time;
- and
- a substrate support comprising two side supports positioned along opposite sides of the substrate so as not to shadow the same region of the substrate from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array, and one bottom support positioned along the substrate's baricenter so as not to shadow the same region of the substrate from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array.
4 more elements
An apparatus for cleaning a thin disk comprising:
- a tank having:
- at least two upwardly angled walls;
- a first transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a first one of the upwardly angled walls;
- a second transducer array comprising at least one transducer operatively coupled to a second one of the upwardly angled walls;
- wherein the tank and the transducer arrays are configured to avoid interfering reflection;
- and
- a thin disk support comprising two side supports positioned along opposite sides of the thin disk so as not to shadow the same region of the thin disk from the energy of both the first transducer array and the second transducer array.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.