Other

Lam Research Corporation

Oliver Design, Inc.

Xyratex Technologies, Ltd.

Yassin Mehmandoust

Donald Edgar Stephens

Scott T Petersen

Oliver David Jones

James M Olivas

Kenneth C McMahon

Jonathan E Borkowski

Michael Oxsen

Substrate preparation systems comprising multi-zone cascade brush scrubbers having sonic assemblies disposed between one or more of the scrubber zones for cleaning of disk-shaped substrates, including silicon wafers and disks for data storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDD), compact discs (CD) and digital video discs (DVD). The system method combines a sonic particle dislodgement/removal assembly into a cascade brush scrubber line comprising a longi-tudinal array of brush pairs in which the substrates process through preparation zones defined by each pair of brushes, the substrates being transited longitudinally through the zones while rotating on an axis normal to their faces. Piezoelectric transducer arrays transmit sound energy to one or both face(s) of the substrate to dislodge and/or remove particles, and the scrubber simultaneously or thereafter sweeps away the particulates. The sonic energy may be ultrasonic, megasonic, or both, applied to the substrate surface(s) in alternating or sequential process steps.

Integrated megasonic cascade scrubber module and process

A dryer for drying a substrate includes: a bath containing a fluid; a chamber; and a delivery system supplying a polar organic compound, such as isopropyl alcohol, and a hydrophobic organic compound, such as hydrofluoroether, to the interface between the substrate and the fluid as the substrate is removed from the fluid of the bath into the chamber. The dryer further includes a chamber environment control system that supplies a gas into the chamber to dry the substrate and controls temperature and humidity in the chamber and a chamber heater attached to the chamber to transfer thermal energy into the chamber. A drying method includes: immersing a substrate into a fluid contained in a bath; removing the substrate from the fluid into a chamber; and supplying isopropyl alcohol and hydrofluoroether to an interface between the substrate and the fluid. The method further includes: supplying a gas into the chamber to dry the substrate and to control temperature and humidity in the chamber; and heating the chamber to transfer thermal energy into the chamber and the substrate.

Apparatus and method for drying a substrate using hydrophobic and polar organic compounds

A dryer for drying a substrate includes: a bath containing a fluid; a chamber; and an isopropyl alcohol delivery system supplying isopropyl alcohol vapor to the interface between the substrate and the fluid when the substrate is removed from the fluid of the bath into the chamber. The isopropyl alcohol vapor is supplied perpendicularly to a vertical axis of the substrate. The dryer further includes a chamber environment control system that supplies a gas into the chamber to dry the substrate and controls temperature and humidity in the chamber and a chamber heater attached to the chamber to transfer thermal energy into the chamber. A drying method includes: immersing a substrate into a fluid contained in a bath; removing the substrate from the fluid into a chamber; and supplying isopropyl alcohol vapor into an interface between the substrate and the fluid perpendicularly to a vertical axis of the substrate. The method further includes: supplying a gas into the chamber to dry the substrate and to control temperature and humidity in the chamber; and heating the chamber to transfer thermal energy into the chamber and the substrate.

Apparatus and method for drying a thin substrate

Liquid is removed from wafers for drying a wafer that has been wet in a liquid bath. The wafer and the bath are separated at a controlled rate as the wafer is positioned in a gas-filled volume. The controlled rate is generally not less than the maximum rate at which a meniscus will form between the liquid bath and the surface of the wafer when the liquid bath and the wafer are separated. The gas-filled volume is defined by a hot chamber that continuously transfers thermal energy to the wafer in the gas-filled volume. Hot gas directed into the volume and across the wafer and out of the volume continuously transfers thermal energy to the wafer.

Wafer drying apparatus and method

Liquid is removed from batches of substrates by apparatus and methods for drying substrates that have been wet in an elongated liquid bath. The substrates are moved relative to the bath and an elongated gas-filled volume at rates of movement selected according to the location of the batches of substrates in the bath or the volume. As an example, the substrates and the bath are separated at a controlled rate to form a thin layer of liquid on each substrate as each substrate enters the gas-filled volume. The gas-filled volume is defined by an elongated hot chamber and hot gas directed into the volume and across the substrates and out of the volume continuously transfers thermal energy to the substrates . The flow rate of the gas into the volume is related to introduction of the substrates into the bath to avoid disturbing the liquid in the bath. The thermal energy transferred to the substrates in the volume evaporates the thin layer from the substrates without decreasing the rate of separation of the substrates and the bath below the maximum rate of such separation at which a meniscus will form between the bath and the surface of one of the substrates during such separation. Relative humidity in the volume is controlled by sensing the relative humidity and regulating the speed of a fan that draws gas from the volume.

Apparatus for drying batches of disks

Liquid is removed from disks by apparatus and methods for drying a disk that has been wet in a liquid bath. The disk and the bath are separated at a controlled rate to form a monolayer of liquid on the disk as the disk is positioned in a gas-filled volume. The separation may be by moving the disk out of the liquid bath, and the controlled rate is generally not less than the maximum rate at which a meniscus will form between the liquid bath and the surface of the disk when the liquid bath and the disk are separated. The gas-filled volume is defined by a hot chamber that continuously transfers thermal energy to the disk in the gas-filled volume. Hot gas directed into the volume and across the disk and out of the volume continuously transfers thermal energy to the disk. The directing of the gas out of the volume is independent of the separation of the bath and the disk. The thermal energy transferred to the disk in the volume evaporates the monolayer from the disk without decreasing the rate of separation of the disk and the bath below the maximum rate of such separation at which a meniscus will form between the bath and the surface of the disk during such separation. In addition to such separation, and directing of the hot gas across the disk and out of the volume, the relative humidity in the volume is kept low to inhibit recondensation of the liquid on the disks.

Disk drying apparatus and method

Liquid is removed from batches of substrates by apparatus and methods for drying substrates that have been wet in an elongated liquid bath. The substrates are moved relative to the bath and an elongated gas-filled volume at rates of movement selected according to the location of the batches of substrates in the bath or the volume. As an example, the substrates and the bath are separated at a controlled rate to form a thin layer of liquid on each substrate as each substrate enters the gas-filled volume. The gas-filled volume is defined by an elongated hot chamber and hot gas directed into the volume and across the substrates and out of the volume continuously transfers thermal energy to the substrates. The flow rate of the gas into the volume is related to introduction of the substrates into the bath to avoid disturbing the liquid in the bath. The thermal energy transferred to the substrates in the volume evaporates the thin layer from the substrates without decreasing the rate of separation of the substrates and the bath below the maximum rate of such separation at which a meniscus will form between the bath and the surface of one of the substrates during such separation. Relative humidity in the volume is controlled by sensing the relative humidity and regulating the speed of a fan that draws gas from the volume.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America

Yassin Mehmandoust