# US 8,539,969 B2 · Gigasonic brush for cleaning surfaces > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,539,969 B2 - Document ID: US8539969B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/847,621 - Filed: 2010-07-30 - Published: 2012-02-02 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2010-07-30 - Assignees: Sematech, Inc. - Applicants: Abbas Rastegar - Inventors: Abbas Rastegar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8539969B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/0412: {using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes} - B06B 1/0276: {with simultaneous generation, e.g. with modulation, harmonics} - B06B 1/0622: {on one surface} - B08B 3/12: by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations - H10P 70/00: Cleaning of wafers, substrates or parts of devices - B06B 2201/20: Application to multi-element transducer - B06B 2201/55: Piezoelectric transducer - B06B 2201/71: Cleaning in a tank - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B06B: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, {e.g.} FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL (for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. B07B1/40, B23Q17/12, B24B31/06; measurement of mechanical vibrations G01H; in direction finding, locating, distance or velocity measuring G01S; {generating seismic energy G01V1/02}; control of mechanical vibrations in general G05D; sound-producing devices, e.g. bells, sirens, whistles G10K, {e.g. methods or devices for transmitting, conducting, or directing sound in general G10K11/00}; generation of electrical oscillations H03B; electromechanical resonators in general H03H; electromechanical transducers {for communication techniques, e.g. microphones, speakers} H04R) - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL ## Abstract An apparatus, system, and method for a Gigasonic Brush for cleaning surfaces is presented. One embodiment of the system includes an array of acoustic transducers coupled to a substrate where the individual acoustic transducers have sizes in the range of 9 um2 to 250,000 um2. The system may include a positioning mechanism coupled to at least one of a target surface or the array of acoustic transducers, and configured to position the array of acoustic transducers within 1 millimeter of a target surface. The system may also include a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide cleaning liquid for coupling the array of acoustic transducers to the target surface. The system may further include a controller coupled to the array of acoustic transducers and configured to activate the array of acoustic transducers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: an array of acoustic transducers wherein individual acoustic transducers have sizes in the range of 9 square micrometers to 250,000 square micrometers; a positioning mechanism coupled to at least one of a target surface and the array of acoustic transducers and configured to position the array of acoustic transducers within 1 millimeter of the target surface; a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide cleaning liquid for coupling the array of acoustic transducers to the target surface; and a controller coupled to the array of acoustic transducers and configured to activate the array of acoustic transducers; where the array of acoustic transducers is configured to directly excite a particle having a diameter in the range of 1 nanometer to 500 nanometers on the target surface with acoustic waves at one or more frequencies in the range of 10 Megahertz to 10 Gigahertz from the array of acoustic transducers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a substrate having a concave surface, the array of acoustic transducers being coupled to the concave surface to focus the acoustic waves from the array of acoustic transducers on a point. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a substrate having a semi-cylindrical surface, the array of acoustic transducers being coupled to the semi-cylindrical surface to focus the acoustic waves from the array of acoustic transducers on a line. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the array of acoustic transducers being coupled to a two-dimensional plane on a substrate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the array of acoustic transducers comprising a first group of acoustic transducers configured to operate at a first frequency and a second group of acoustic transducers configured to operate at a second frequency. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, the first group of acoustic transducers and the second group of acoustic transducers being intermixed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A system of claim 1, the controller further comprising: a first switch coupled to a first acoustic transducer, and configured to selectively activate the first acoustic transducer; and a second switch coupled to a second acoustic transducer, and configured to selectively activate the second acoustic transducer. ### Claim 8 An apparatus comprising: a substrate; an array of acoustic transducers coupled to the substrate, the acoustic transducers having sizes in the range of 9 square micrometers to 250,000 square micrometers; and a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide a cleaning liquid to couple the array of acoustic transducers to a target surface; where the array of acoustic transducers is configured to directly excite a particle having a diameter in the range of 1 nanometer to 500 nanometers on the target surface with acoustic waves at one or more frequencies in the range of 10 Megahertz to 10 Gigahertz from the array of acoustic transducers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, the array of acoustic transducers comprising a first group of acoustic transducers configured to operate at a first frequency and a second group of acoustic transducers configured to operate at a second frequency. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, the first group of acoustic transducers and the second group of acoustic transducers being intermixed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a first acoustic transducer configured for selective activation and a second acoustic transducer configured for selective activation. ### Claim 12 An apparatus comprising: a low frequency acoustic transducer configured to operate within a first acoustic frequency range; an array of high frequency acoustic transducers coupled to the low frequency acoustic transducer, the high frequency acoustic transducers having sizes in the range of 9 square micrometers to 250,000 square micrometers, the high frequency acoustic transducers configured to operate within a second acoustic frequency range, where the second acoustic frequency range is higher than the first acoustic frequency range and where the second acoustic frequency range is 10 MHz to 10 GHz; and a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide a cleaning liquid to couple the array of acoustic transducers to a target surface; where the array of high frequency acoustic transducers is configured to directly excite a particle having a diameter in the range of 1 nanometer to 500 nanometers on the target surface with acoustic waves at one or more frequencies in the second acoustic frequency range. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first frequency range is 500 kHz to 10 MHz. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the low frequency transducer has a physical diameter of between 5 mm and 300 mm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the low frequency transducer has a physical thickness of between 500 μm to 10 mm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the array of high frequency acoustic transducers are coupled to the low frequency acoustic transducer such that the low frequency acoustic transducer is farther from the target surface than the array of high frequency acoustic transducers. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the array of high frequency acoustic transducers and the low frequency acoustic transducer are positioned such that a signal from the array of high frequency acoustic transducers is superimposed on a signal from the low frequency acoustic transducer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the array of high frequency acoustic transducers and the low frequency acoustic transducer is each coupled a substrate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the substrate is disposed between the array of high frequency acoustic transducers and the low frequency acoustic transducer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the low frequency acoustic transducer is positioned farther from the target surface than the array of high frequency acoustic transducers.