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:
Jan. 31, 2012
Filed:
Nov. 07, 2008
Ji Zhu, El Cerrito, CA (US);
Arjun Mendiratta, Berkely, CA (US);
David Mui, Fremont, CA (US);
Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
The embodiments provide substrate cleaning techniques to remove contaminants from the substrate surface to improve device yield. The substrate cleaning techniques utilize a cleaning material with solid components and polymers with a large molecular weight dispersed in a cleaning liquid to form the cleaning material, which is fluidic. The solid components remove contaminants on the substrate surface by making contact with the contaminants. The polymers with large molecular weight form polymer chains and a polymeric network that capture and entrap solids in the cleaning materials, which prevent solids from falling on the substrate surface. In addition, the polymers can also assist in removing contaminants form the substrate surface by making contacts with contaminants on the substrate surface. In one embodiment, the cleaning material glides around protruding features on the substrate surface without making a forceful impact on the protruding features to damage them. The present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including a material (or solution), a method, a process, an apparatus, or a system.