Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus and a method for cleaning semiconductor wafers in a wet cleaning process with the use of pulsed liquid jets. The apparatus contains a source of an ozonated cleaning solution impinged through nozzles onto the surface of a vertically arranged semiconductor wafer, or a similar object, in the form of a series of pulses that may be alternated with pulses of overheated cleaning steam-and-water mixture, hot gas, and optionally, of deionized water, emitted through respective individual nozzles. The ozonated cleaning water solution has a temperature of about 5.degree. C., the overheated steam-and-water mixture is supplied at a temperature of about 200.degree. C., and the pulse of the hot gas heated to about 100.degree. C. follows the cold ozonated solution pulse in order to compensate for an abrupt temperature change between the cold solution pulse and the overheated steam-and-water mixture pulse.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim