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US 8,945,407 B2Granted
Touchless site isolation using gas bearing
AssigneeIntermolecular, Inc.
InventorAaron Francis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas bearing seal using porous materials for distribution of gas flow can provide site isolation during wet processing. In some embodiments, a flow cell comprises a porous media gas bearing surrounding a periphery of the flow cell, isolating the liquid inside the flow cell from the ambient air outside the flow cell. In some embodiments, a protective chuck comprises a porous media gas bearing disposed in a middle of the protective chuck, isolating the liquid outside the protective chuck with the gaseous ambient generated by the porous media gas bearing.
Claims16
A method for processing a substrate, comprising
- providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a first surface region and a second surface region;
- providing a flow cell, wherein the flow cell comprises a hollow interior operable to receive a fluid, a peripheral portion circumscribing the hollow interior, and an inlet operable to receive gas flow, wherein the peripheral portion comprises a bottom surface and the flow cell further comprises a porous medium disposed at the bottom surface of the peripheral region such that the porous medium circumscribes the hollow interior;
- flowing a gas to the inlet, wherein the gas exits the bottom surface of the peripheral portion through the porous medium;
- and
- lowering the flow cell onto the substrate, wherein the bottom surface of the peripheral portion is disposed in proximity to the first surface region,
- wherein the gas flow at the bottom surface of the peripheral portion confines a fluid disposed in the hollow interior of the flow cell from spreading from the first surface region of the substrate to the second surface region of the substrate.
3 more elements
A method for processing a substrate, comprising
- providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a first surface region;
- providing a flow cell, wherein the flow cell comprises a hollow interior operable to receive a fluid, a peripheral portion circumscribing the hollow interior, and an inlet operable to receive gas flow, wherein the peripheral portion comprises a bottom surface and the flow cell further comprises a porous medium disposed at the bottom surface of the peripheral region such that the porous medium circumscribes the hollow interior;
- positioning the flow cell on the substrate so that the bottom surface of the peripheral portion is disposed in proximity to the first surface region;
- establishing a gas layer between the bottom surface and the first surface region of the substrate, wherein the gas layer is formed by a gas flow through the peripheral portion of the flow cell and distributed at the bottom surface of the flow cell through the porous medium;
- and
- supplying a fluid to the hollow interior, wherein the gas layer confines the fluid in the hollow interior of the flow cell from spreading from the first surface region of the substrate to the second surface region of the substrate.
3 more elements
A method for processing a substrate, comprising
- providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of first surface regions and a second surface region;
- providing a plurality of flow cells, wherein each flow cell comprises a hollow interior operable to receive a fluid, a peripheral portion circumscribing the hollow interior, and an inlet operable to receive gas flow, wherein the peripheral portion comprises a bottom surface and the flow cell further comprises a porous medium disposed at the bottom surface of the peripheral region such that the porous medium circumscribes the hollow interior;
- flowing a gas to the inlet of each flow cell, wherein the gas exits the bottom surface of the peripheral portion of the respective flow cell through the porous medium;
- and
- lowering the plurality of flow cells onto the substrate, wherein the bottom surface of the peripheral portion of each flow cell is disposed in proximity to a respective one of the plurality of first surface regions,
- wherein the gas flow at the bottom surface of the peripheral portion of each flow cell confines a fluid disposed in the hollow interior of the flow cell from spreading from the respective first surface region of the substrate to the second surface region of the substrate.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.