Capacitor coupled chuck for carbon dioxide snow cleaning system

Abstract

The cryogenic aerosol substrate cleaning system of the present invention includes a substrate support system that is disposed within a cleaning enclosure. A wafer, or other article to be cleaned is disposed upon the substrate support system. A cryogenic aerosol spray cleaning device is disposed within the enclosure to direct a cryogenic aerosol spray upon the surface of the wafer. The substrate support system includes an electrically floating chuck which supports the wafer, such that the chuck is separated from a grounded plane by an insulator. The chuck is capacitance-coupled to the grounded plane, and in alternative embodiments the chuck is also electrically coupled to the grounded plane. The substrate support system of the present invention acts to reduce the creation of tribocharges on the wafer, such that damage to wafers caused by such tribocharges is reduced and a cleaner wafer surface is created.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.