US5261965A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Semiconductor wafer cleaning using condensed-phase processing
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1992-08-28
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Granted: 1993-11-16
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Expires: 2012-08-28
Abstract
Abstract A method and system for semiconductor wafer cleaning within a condensed-phase processing environment (54) is based on first cooling the semiconductor wafer (52) to a predetermined temperature in order to condense a liquid film (156) on the semiconductor wafer surface from a condensable process gas or gas mixture. Then, the method and system promote thermally activated surface reactions and rapidly evaporate liquid film (156) from the semiconductor wafer surface using a high peak power, short pulse duration energy source such as a pulsed microwave source to dissolve surface contaminants and produce drag forces sufficiently large to remove particulates (154) and other surface contaminants from the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The method and system of this invention can remove various organic, metallic, native oxide, and particulate contaminants from semiconductor wafer surface.
Inventors
- 👤 Mehrdad M. Moslehi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 21:11
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P70/00; H10P70/10; H10P70/12; B; B08; B08B; B08B7/00; B08B7/0021; B08B7/0035; H10P70/15; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0402; H10P72/0406; H10P72/0411
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
A method for semiconductor wafer surface cleaning using condensed-phase processing that removes contaminants from the semiconductor wafer in a fabrication reactor, comprising the steps of: condensing a film of liquid on a surface of the semiconductor wafer, said film associating with the surface contaminants; exposing said film to a high-power broad-beam pulsed heating source to cause said film react with the surface contaminants and to rapidly evaporate said film of liquid for removal said contaminants from the semiconductor wafer.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
79 words
A method for semiconductor wafer surface cleaning using condensed-phase processing that removes contaminants from the semiconductor wafer in a fabrication reactor, comprising the steps of: condensing a film of liquid on a surface of the semiconductor wafer, said film associating with the surface contaminants; exposing said film to a high-power broad-beam pulsed heating source to cause said film react with the surface contaminants and to rapidly evaporate said film of liquid for removal said contaminants from the semiconductor wafer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said high-power broad-beam pulsed heating source is a pulsed microwave source.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 2, wherein said exposing step further comprises the step of exposing said film to a high-power pulsed microwave source having peak output powers of between approximately 10 kilowatts and 1000 kilowatts.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 3, wherein said film exposing step further comprises the step of exposing said film to a high-power pulsed microwave source having a frequency of approximately 2.45 GHz.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method of claim 3, wherein said exposing step further comprises the step of exposing said film to a high-power pulsed microwave source that produces a series of pulses wherein each of said pulses has a duration of approximately 100 nanoseconds and each of said series of trains of pulses has a frequency of between approximately 10 Hz and 10 kHz.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said high-power broad-beam pulsed heating source is a pulsed light source.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said exposing step further comprising the step of removing particulates from said surface of the semiconductor wafer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said exposing step further comprises the step of removing contaminants from a plurality of layers associated with said surface of the semiconductor wafer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said contaminant removing step further comprises the step of removing metallic impurities from said layers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said contaminant removing step further comprises the step of removing iron impurities removing from said layers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said contaminant removing step further comprises the step of removing zinc impurities from said layers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said contaminant removing step further comprises the step of removing copper impurities from said layers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said contaminant removing step further comprises the step of removing organic impurities from said layers.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said contaminant removing step further comprises the step of removing native oxide impurities from said layers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1, Wherein said film condensing step further comprises the step of condensing an inert liquid layer on said surface
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said film condensing step further comprises the step of condensing a chemically reactive liquid layer on said surface.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 16, wherein said reactive liquid condensing step further comprises the step of condensing hydrochloric acid on said surface.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 16, wherein said reactive liquid condensing step further comprises the step of condensing sulfuric acid on said surface.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 16, wherein said reactive liquid condensing step further comprises the step of condensing an alcohol on said surface.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 16, wherein said solvent condensing step further comprises the step of condensing ammonium hydroxide on said surface.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 16, wherein said solvent condensing step further comprises the step of halogen-containing vapor on said surface.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-11-15 | 1997-05-17 | 1997-11-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-11-15 | 2001-05-17 | 2001-11-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-11-15 | 2005-05-17 | 2005-11-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |