Environmental Metrology Corporation

University of Arizona

Industrial Technology Research Institute

Arizona Board of Regents, a Body Corporate

Farhang F Shadman

Bert M Vermeire

Kon-Tsu Kin

Ching-Yi Hsu

Pei-Lin Chang

Jen-Chung Lou

Chiou-Mei Chen

Hsiao-Fen Cheng

Robert A Governal

A method of improving the clean, rinse and dry processes during the manufacture of ICs, MEMS and other micro-devices to conserve solution and energy while completing the process within a specified time. An electro-chemical residue sensor (ECRS) provides in-situ and real-time measurement of residual contamination on a surface or inside void micro features within the sensor representative of conditions on production wafers. The in-situ measurements are used to design and optimize a production process. The wafers are manufactured in accordance with the production process without the ECRS.

Method of manufacture of wafers using an electro-chemical residue sensor (ECRS)

A method of improving the clean, rinse and dry processes during the manufacture of ICs, MEMS and other micro-devices to conserve solution and energy while completing the process within a specified time. An electro-chemical residue sensor (ECRS) provides in-situ and real-time measurement of residual contamination on a surface or inside void micro features within the sensor representative of conditions on production wafers. The measured impedance can be used to determine what process variables and specifically how process conditions affect the rate of change of the measured impedance. The in-situ measurements are used to design and optimize a production process and/or to monitor the production run in real-time to control the process conditions and transfer of a patterned wafer through the processes.

Method of monitoring the clean/rinse/dry processes of patterned wafers using an electro-chemical residue sensor (ECRS)

Method of design optimization and monitoring the clean/rinse/dry processes of patterned wafers using an electro-chemical residue sensor (ECRS)

The present invention provides a micro sensor for monitoring the cleaning and drying processes of surfaces of dielectric films, micro features in porous dielectric films and biologic or other cells common in microelectronics fabrication, MEMS fabrication or microbiology test system fabrication. By embedding electrodes in the surface of a supporting dielectric, the sensor can probe the surface and pores of a covering dielectric or a cell on the covering dielectric. The addition of a guard reduces the effects of any parasitic capacitance, which extends the measurement bandwidth of the sensor and allows it to be manufactured at the scale of a single cell, a feature that is particularly important for applications in microbiology.

Surface micro sensor and method

The present invention provides a micro sensor for monitoring the cleaning and drying processes for very high aspect ratio micro channels in dielectric films oriented parallel to the fluid-solid interface during the manufacture of ICs, MEMS and other micro-devices. The micro sensor can be used to monitor 'vertical' micro features common in microelectronics fabrication or 'horizontal' micro features found in MEMS or microfluidic fabrication. By forming the micro channels parallel to the interface, the channels can be made with much higher and well controlled aspect ratios. In addition, multiple sensors can sense the impedance at various points along the micro features. The addition of a guard reduces the effects of any parasitic capacitance, which extends the measurement bandwidth of the sensor.

Micro sensor for electrochemically monitoring residue in micro channels

The micro sensor is fabricated with a guard that shields the electrodes from the surrounding environment, thereby reducing loss of measurement signal through the parasitic capacitances to the substrate and fluid. The guards are low impedance points in the circuit that are biased to track as closely as possible the ac voltages of the respective electrodes. Each guard is suitably connected to the output of a guard buffer that supplies the current required to ensure that the guard is at all times at nearly the same voltage as the electrode it is guarding. The micro sensor has an improved signal to noise ratio (SNR) over an extended measurement frequency range (bandwidth) for monitoring in-situ the cleaning and drying processes for high aspect ratio micro features in dielectric films oriented perpendicular to the fluid-solid interface during the manufacture of ICs, MEMS and other micro-devices.

Shielded micro sensor and method for electrochemically monitoring residue in micro features

The present invention discloses a technique of removing a substance from a substrate surface, such as stripping photoresist from a wafer, or forming a substance on a substrate surface. Substrates to be treated are parallel arranged at an equal interval and are immersed in a liquid with only a lower portion thereof being below the liquid surface. Gas such as ozone is introduced into the liquid and is continuously bubbling below the substrates. The bubbles will ascend between two adjacent substrates and climb on the surfaces of the substrates before they burst. The liquid boundary layers on the substrate surfaces are compressed and refreshed in the course of a dragging ascent of the bubbles, enhancing mass transfer between gas/liquid/solid substances across the liquid boundary layer, thereby resulting in a fast reaction and a fast treatment of the surface of the substrates.

Method and apparatus for treating a substrate surface by bubbling

In order to reduce a total organic carbon (TOC) in ultrapure water to a level less than 1 ppb, several cycles of ozone contact/UV irradiation treatments are carried out in sequence. Preferably, the first cycle further includes an ion exchange treatment which is applied to the resulting UV irradiation water.

Process for removing organics from ultrapure water

A reactive membrane for removing impurities, such as water, oxygen and organic compounds, from a gas is provided. The reactive membrane includes a porous inorganic substrate having exposed surfaces and at least one carbon layer, which is modified to present active sites, deposited on the exposed surfaces. The active sites include metal species which are at least partially deoxygenated and are chemically bonded to the carbon layer. Methods of forming the reactive membrane and of removing impurities from a gas with the membrane are also provided.

Reactive membrane for filtration and purification of gases of impurities

An ultrapure water treatment system is provided by the present invention. e system comprises a housing, a water supply means including a water inlet and a water outlet communicating with the housing and defining a path of travel of the water from said inlet to said outlet, irradiation means for irradiating water with 185 nm UV light positioned within the housing, and a catalytic filter positioned in the path of travel of the water. The catalytic filter comprises a non-polymeric porous material having a photoactive catalyst thereon. Exemplary photoactive catalysts include TiO.sub.2, ZnO, WO.sub.3, SnO.sub.2, CU.sub.2 O, and CdSe.

Ultrapure water treatment system

A reactive membrane for simultaneous removal of heterogeneous and homogeneous impurities such as moisture, oxygen and organic compounds from gases is provided. The membrane comprises a substrate layer having a plurality of pores therein, at least one layer of carbon on the porous substrate layer and coating the pores thereof, and at least one reactive layer of a metal in reduced form capable of reacting with the impurities and chemically bonded to the carbon layer. A method of forming the same is also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Farhang F Shadman