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US 6,783,599 B2Granted
Method of cleaning contaminants from the surface of a substrate
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsGlenn W. Gale, Frederick W. Kern, Jr., William Alfred Syverson
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Abstract
Contaminants are removed from a surface of a substrate by applying a fluid to the surface; lowering the temperature of the fluid to form a solid layer of the fluid and entrap contaminants therein; and applying energy to the layer and/or substrate to cause the layer containing the contaminants to separate from the surface.
Claims32
A method for removing contaminants from the surface of a semiconductor substrate comprising:
- forming an intact and contiguous film of a fluid on a surface of said semiconductor substrate at an ambient temperature;
- lowering the temperature of the fluid, thereby forming a solid layer of the fluid over the surface and entrapping contaminants within the layer;
- and
- applying energy consisting of sonic energy having a frequency of from about 5 Hz up to megasonic values to the layer or substrate or both under such conditions as to result in separation of said solid layer including the contaminants from the surface.
1 more element
A method for removing contaminants from the surface of a semiconductor substrate comprising:
- forming an intact and contiguous film of a fluid on a surface of said semiconductor substrate at an ambient temperature;
- lowering the temperature of the fluid by reducing the temperature of the substrate so as to form a solid layer of the fluid over the surface and entrapping contaminants within the layer;
- and
- applying energy consisting of sonic energy having a frequency of from about 5 Hz up to megasonic values to the layer or substrate or both under such conditions as to result in separation of said solid layer including the contaminants from the surface.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.