Tel Fsi, Inc.

Tel Manufacturing and Engineering of America, Inc.

Chimaobi W Mbanaso

Jeffery W Butterbaugh

David Scott Becker

Brent D Schwab

Jeffrey M Lauerhaas

Gregory Paul Thomes

Kevin Rolf

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for treating the surface of a microelectronic substrate, and in particular, relate to an apparatus and method for scanning the microelectronic substrate through a cryogenic fluid mixture used to treat an exposed surface of the microelectronic substrate. The fluid mixture may be expanded through a nozzle to form an aerosol spray or gas cluster jet (GCJ) spray and may impinge the microelectronic substrate and remove particles from the microelectronic substrate's surface. In one embodiment, a two-stage gas nozzle may be used to expand a fluid mixture with a liquid phase concentration of greater than 10% by weight.

Systems and methods for treating substrates with cryogenic fluid mixtures

This invention relates to systems and methods that produce a treatment beam with a controllable beam size. This is accomplished by providing an auxiliary chamber in open fluid communication with the main process chamber. A nozzle is mounted in a recessed manner in the auxiliary chamber. The nozzle dispenses a treatment spray into the auxiliary chamber. The auxiliary chamber shapes and dispenses the treatment material as a treatment beam into the process chamber. In illustrative embodiments, control of process chamber pressure adjusts the beam size of a treatment beam used to treat the surface of one or more microelectronic substrates.

Microelectronic treatment system having treatment spray with controllable beam size

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for treating the surface of a microelectronic substrate, using a cryogenic fluid mixture used to treat an exposed surface of the microelectronic substrate. The fluid mixture may be expanded through a nozzle to form an aerosol spray or gas cluster jet (GCJ) spray may impinge the microelectronic substrate and remove particles from the microelectronic substrate's surface. The system may include a two-stage gas nozzle that expands the high pressure incoming gas within two inline expansion chambers. However, in other embodiments, the system may include a single stage nozzle design with one expansion component.

A system and method for treating a substrate is described. In particular, the system and method for treating a substrate include techniques for removing particles from the surface of a microelectronic substrate. The system includes: a vacuum process chamber; a substrate stage for supporting a microelectronic substrate within the vacuum process chamber; a cryogenic fluid supply system that can provide a fluid or fluid mixture through one or more nozzles arranged within the vacuum process chamber to inject a fluid spray into the process chamber in a direction towards an upper surface of the microelectronic substrate; and a process monitoring system coupled to the vacuum process chamber, and arranged to collect fluid spray data corresponding to at least one measured attribute of the injected fluid spray downstream of an exit of the one or more nozzles.

System and method for monitoring treatment of microelectronic substrates with fluid sprays such as cryogenic fluid sprays

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for treating the surface of a microelectronic substrate, and in particular, relate to an apparatus and method for scanning the microelectronic substrate through a cryogenic fluid mixture used to treat an exposed surface of the microelectronic substrate. The fluid mixture may be expanded through a nozzle to form an aerosol spray or gas cluster jet (GCJ) spray may impinge the microelectronic substrate and remove particles from the microelectronic substrate's surface. In one embodiment, the fluid mixture may be maintained to prevent liquid formation within the fluid mixture prior to passing the fluid mixture through the nozzle. The fluid mixture may include nitrogen, argon, helium, neon, xenon, krypton, carbon dioxide, or any combination thereof.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for treating the surface of a microelectronic substrate, using a cryogenic fluid mixture used to treat an exposed surface of the microelectronic substrate. The fluid mixture may be expanded through a nozzle to form an aerosol spray or gas cluster jet (GCJ) spray may impinge the microelectronic substrate and remove particles from the microelectronic substrate's surface. The fluid mixture may include nitrogen, argon, helium, neon, xenon, krypton, carbon dioxide, or any combination thereof. The incoming fluid mixture may be maintained pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and at a temperature greater than the condensation temperature of the fluid mixture. The fluid mixture may be expanded into the treatment chamber to form an aerosol or gas cluster spray. In this embodiment, the nozzle may be positioned within 50 mm of the microelectronic substrate during the treatment, more preferably within 10 mm of the microelectronic substrate.

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Chaska, MN, United States of America

Chimaobi W Mbanaso