Applied Materials, Inc.

J Kelly Truman

Steven Verhaverbeke

Rick Endo

Alexander S Ko

Christopher F Lane

Sasson Roger Somekh

An apparatus for wet processing individual wafers comprising; a means for holding the wafer; a means for providing acoustic energy to a non-device side of the wafer; and a means for flowing a fluid onto a device side of the wafer.

Method and apparatus for wafer cleaning

A method of a single wafer wet/dry cleaning apparatus comprising:

Method and apparatus for processing a wafer

The present invention is a novel cleaning method and a solution for use in a single wafer cleaning process. According to the present invention the cleaning solution comprises ammonium hydroxide (NHOH), hydrogen peroxide (HO), water (HO) and a chelating agent. In an embodiment of the present invention the cleaning solution also contains a surfactant. And still yet another embodiment of the present invention the cleaning solution also comprises a dissolved gas such as H. In a particular embodiment of the present invention, this solution is used by spraying or dispensing it on a spinning wafer.

Cleaning method and solution for cleaning a wafer in a single wafer process

A method of and apparatus for mixing chemicals in a single wafer process. According to the present invention a chemical is fed into a valve system having a tube of a known volume. The chemical is fed into the valve system to fill the tube with a chemical to generate a measured amount of the chemical. The measured amount of chemical is then used in a single wafer process.

Method and apparatus for chemical mixing in a single wafer process

A method and apparatus for processing a wafer is described. According to the present invention a wafer is placed on a substrate support. A liquid is then fed through a conduit having an output opening over the wafer. A gas is dissolved in the liquid prior to the liquid reaching the output over the wafer by flowing a gas into the conduit through a venturi opening formed in the conduit. The liquid with dissolved gas is then fed through the opening and onto the wafer where it can be used to etch, clean, or rinse a wafer.

Method and apparatus for dissolving a gas into a liquid for single wet wafer processing

The present invention is a method of assisting the rinsing of a wafer in a single wafer cleaning apparatus. According to the present invention, after exposing a wafer to a cleaning and/or etching solution, the cleaning or etching solution is removed from the wafer by spinning the wafer and dispensing or spraying DI water onto the wafer as it is spun. The centrifugal force of the spinning wafer enhances the rinsing of the wafer. In order to enhance the rinsing of the wafer, in an embodiment of the present invention a solution having a lower surface tension than water, such as but not limited to isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is dispensed in liquid or vapor form onto the wafer after the DI water. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the vapor of a solution with a lower surface tension than DI water, such as IPA vapor, is blown on the wafer in order to break up the DI water bulging up at the center of the spinning wafer. In another embodiment of the present invention, a gas such N2, is blown for a short period of time onto the center of the wafer to break up the DI water bulging up at the center of the spinning wafer. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, acoustic or sonic waves are applied to the wafer as it spins in order to help diffuse the DI water from the wafer. And in still yet another embodiment of the present invention, the DI water which is dispensed onto the spinning wafer is heated to a temperature above room temperature and preferably between 60-70&#xb0; C. to enhance the diffusion of water from the wafer. The low surface tension liquid, acoustic application, gas blowing, and heated DI water can be used alone or in combination with one another into enhance the rinsing of a wafer and thereby decrease the rinsing time of a single wafer process to less than 20 seconds.

Assisted rinsing in a single wafer cleaning process

The present invention is a novel termination of silicon dioxide films for use in a single wafer cleaning tool. According to the present invention a silicon dioxide film is formed on a silicon substrate and the film is then terminated with ammonium oxide (&mdash;O&mdash;NH ). In an embodiment of the present invention the film is terminated by dispensing a mixture containing ammonium oxide onto the film. The present invention also provides a method of forming a gate insulator as well as a gate insulator device.

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Morgan Hill, CA, United States of America

J Kelly Truman