Fishing – trapping – and vermin destroying
Patent
1990-07-24
1993-03-16
Hearn, Brian E.
Fishing, trapping, and vermin destroying
437228, 118 50, 118715, 118719, 118729, H01L 2100, H01L 2102, B08B 504
Patent
active
051944065
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods in the field of isolated, physically contact-free wafer processing and more specifically to a two-sided wafer processing, enabling the combination of an optimal wafer processing of one flat side of the wafer together with an accompanying removal of contamination from the other, opposite side of this wafer, as a requirement for the advanced production of wafers with feature size of 1 .mu.m and below.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Advanced, two-sided wafer processing, taking place within a smallest sized wafer processing chamber without any mechanical moving component in this chamber provides an improved performance condition for such processing.
Such processing as well as apparatus for practicing the two-sided wafer processing are disclosed in Patent Applications Nos. NL-A-8601 254 and WO-A-87/04853 of Applicants.
In these apparatus a direct and continuous downward discharge, whether or not through a wide circumferential discharge passage, takes place of the processing medium, supplied into the processing chamber and expelled in lateral direction from both mini wafer processing gaps of the chamber on top and underneath the wafer.
Thereby the following shortcomings of these apparatus:
1. Because of the continuous discharge, the consumption of processing medium is considerable;
2. By solely moving the processing medium in lateral direction along the wafer surface, the processing efficiency is low;
3. In the central section of the processing gaps the processing efficiency is considerably higher than near the lateral outside of the wafer;
4. The required use of medium supply grooves in both upper and lower wall, extending in lateral direction from these supply channels toward close to the lateral outside of the wafer to maintain the floating condition, with locally at these grooves a reduced processing efficiency of the processing medium;
5. The use of medium supply channels in the vertical sidewall of the processing chamber for urging gaseous medium toward the wafer edge for a physically contact-free wafer processing and by means of wafer rotation a more uniform wafer processing; and
6. A relatively high consumption of gaseous medium.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and methods to eliminate these shortcomings.
Thereby a wall of the wafer processing chamber as central section of a chamber block is reciprocal over a small distance in up and downward direction under vibrating action, with during at least the wafer processing successive enlargements and narrowings of both processing gaps aside the wafer, providing during at least the main part of the wafer processing a wafer floating condition in this processing chamber, temporary at least almost sealed off, with at least almost no discharge of the processing medium toward a circumferential discharge passage, located laterally outward this processing chamber.
Furthermore, a flexible circumferential membrane section, located alongside the processing chamber, connects such central vibrating wall in lateral direction with an outer section of such chamber block and whereby at least part of the wall of such outer section functions as a sealing-off wall, extending in both horizontal and lateral direction.
Furthermore, in the upper wall of the lower chamber block a circumferential discharge passage, with at least one medium discharge channel connected therewith, is located alongside the processing chamber.
As seen from the processing chamber, this discharge passage is located in lateral direction beyond this circumferential membrane section.
In that way the sealing-off system for the processing chamber consists of at least two horizontal sealing-off sections, extending in lateral direction, with a first sealing-off section located in between the outside of this membrane section and the circumferential discharge passage for at least temporary providing a sealing off of this processing chamber during the wafer
REFERENCES:
patent: 4226526 (1980-10-01), Spence-Bate et al.
patent: 4278366 (1981-07-01), Loveless et al.
patent: 4495024 (1985-01-01), Bok
patent: 4560590 (1985-12-01), Bok
patent: 4663197 (1987-05-01), Bok
patent: 4681776 (1987-07-01), Bok
Barlag Ronald J. W.
Bok Edward
Everhart B.
Hearn Brian E.
Semmes David H.
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