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:
Apr. 08, 2014
Filed:
Nov. 06, 2012
Mikhail Korolik, San Jose, CA (US);
Michael Ravkin, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
John DE Larios, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Fritz C. Redeker, Fremont, CA (US);
John M. Boyd, Hillsboro, OR (US);
Mikhail Korolik, San Jose, CA (US);
Michael Ravkin, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
John de Larios, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Fritz C. Redeker, Fremont, CA (US);
John M. Boyd, Hillsboro, OR (US);
Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
A pressure is maintained within a volume within which a semiconductor wafer resides at a pressure that is sufficient to maintain a liquid state of a precursor fluid to a non-Newtonian fluid. The precursor fluid is disposed proximate to a material to be removed from the semiconductor wafer while maintaining the precursor fluid in the liquid state. The pressure is reduced in the volume within which the semiconductor wafer resides such that the precursor fluid disposed on the wafer within the volume is transformed into the non-Newtonian fluid. An expansion of the precursor fluid and movement of the precursor fluid relative to the wafer during transformation into the non-Newtonian fluid causes the resulting non-Newtonian fluid to remove the material from the semiconductor wafer.