Substrate treatment process and apparatus

• US 6,983,756 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2004
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MFsi Limited
• Original Assignee: MFsi Limited
• Inventors: Iga, Masao, Matsuno, Kousaku
• Primary Examiner(s): KORNAKOV, MIKHAIL
• Application Number:
  US10/827,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20040194812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 134/3, 134/30, 134/137, 134/151, 134/140, 134/144, 134/147, 134/148, 134/184, 134/198, 134/199, 134/902, 438/905
• US Class Current: 134/198
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/26 Cleaning or polishing of the conductive pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/905 Cleaning of reaction chamber

Abstract

A substrate treatment apparatus comprises a treatment vessel, a substrate holder for rotating the substrate in a horizontal plane in the treatment vessel, a nozzle unit arranged in an upper part of the treatment vessel such that a liquid is downwardly fed, a feed line for feeding the liquid to the nozzle unit, and a chamber enclosing therein the apparatus in its entirety. The nozzle unit is constructed in a form of a bar such that as viewed in plan, the liquid ejected from the nozzle unit reaches the substrate with an area range having a length not smaller than a diameter of the substrate and a width smaller than the diameter of the substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate treatment apparatus for a substrate, comprising:

a treatment vessel;

a substrate holder configured to rotate said substrate in a horizontal plane in said treatment vessel;

a nozzle unit positioned in an upper portion of said treatment vessel and configured to eject at least one liquid over at least a portion of said substrate covering a length substantially equal to or greater than a diameter of said substrate and a width smaller than the diameter of said substrate as said substrate is held on said substrate holder, said nozzle unit comprising a plurality of cells configured to be fed with the at least one liquid; and

a plurality of feed lines configured to feed the at least one liquid to said plurality of cells, respectively wherein said nozzle unit further comprises an ultrasonic wave generator configured to apply ultrasonic waves to the at least one liquid, and said plurality of cells comprises at least one flow channel for ozone water, at least one flow channel for hydrogen water and at least one flow channel for ozone-hydrogen water, connected to respective feed lines, and said at least one flow channel for ozone water is shielded from the ultrasonic waves.

2. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of cells are configured to be fed with ozone water, hydrogen water and ozone-hydrogen water, individually.

3. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said nozzle unit further comprises a buffer plate partitioning one of the plurality of cells containing said ozone water and another one of the plurality of cells containing said hydrogen water or said ozone-hydrogen water.

4. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle unit has a bar shape substantially corresponding to the portion of said substrate.

5. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a chamber entirely enclosing said treatment vessel, substrate holder, and nozzle unit.

6. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of cells are formed by lateral partitions and longitudinal partitions.

7. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of cells comprises a plurality of outlets for ejecting the at least one liquid, respectively.

8. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of outlets are a plurality of spray nozzles.

9. A substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic wave generator comprises at least one quartz rod.