Substrate drying method for use with a surface tension effect dryer with porous vessel walls

A method for rinsing and drying a batch of workpieces comprising the steps of:

• placing the workpieces into a process vessel having a porous sidewall;
• introducing a fluid into the process vessel, via inlets adjacent to the bottom of the process vessel, until the level of the fluid in the process vessel is high enough to at least partially immerse the workpieces;
• providing an organic vapor above the surface of the fluid in the process vessel;
• removing the fluid from the process vessel via flow through the porous sidewall of the process vessel.

A method for rinsing and drying a semiconductor substrate comprising the steps of:

• introducing a processing fluid into a process vessel;
• bathing a stationary semiconductor substrate in the processing fluid;
• introducing an organic vapor above the processing fluid in the process vessel;
• evacuating the processing fluid from the process vessel to expose the semiconductor substrate;
• and
• creating a lateral flow on the surface of the processing fluid from the semiconductor substrate to a porous wall of the process vessel.

A method for rinsing and drying a workpiece comprising the steps of:

• introducing a fluid into a process vessel having a porous wall;
• immersing a workpiece at least partially into the fluid;
• introducing an organic vapor above the fluid in the process vessel;
• removing the fluid from the process vessel via flow through the porous wall of the process vessel;
• collecting the fluid removed from the process vessel in an outer containment vessel, wherein the fluid in the process vessel and the outer containment vessel are evacuated at rates which maintain a process vessel meniscus and an outer containment vessel meniscus at substantially equal levels.

A method for rinsing and drying a workpiece comprising the steps of:

• introducing a fluid into a process vessel having a porous wall;
• immersing a workpiece at least partially into the fluid;
• introducing an organic vapor above the fluid in the process vessel;
• removing the fluid from the process vessel via flow through the porous wall of the process vessel;
• collecting the fluid removed from the process vessel in an outer containment vessel, wherein the fluid in the process vessel and the outer containment vessel are evacuated at rates which maintain an outer containment vessel meniscus at a lower level than a process vessel meniscus.