The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 15, 1990
Filed:
May. 16, 1986
Brian A Giles, Honeoye Falls, NY (US);
Frederick J Schwab, Churchville, NY (US);
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers wherein the wafers may be stored in a wet environment until the cleaning step and wherein, after drying, the wafers are substantially isolated from the remainder of the apparatus and the workplace environment to prevent or at least substantially eliminate the recontamination of the wafer surface. The wafers are removed one at a time from an incoming storage bath and are transported to a cleaning station where they are cleaned and are then transported to a drying station. After being dried the wafers are transported to an output station where they are loaded into a portable enclosure member which substantially isolates the wafers in the enclosure from further contamination. Further, means is provided for introducing clean air into the drying station and venting at least a portion of the air through the cleaning station while at the same time substantially precluding the escape of air into the output station enclosure member. The cleaned wafer is substantially isolated during the cleaning and drying steps from the less clean portions of the method and apparatus thereby substantially preventing recontamination of the cleaned and dried wafer.