Removal of particulate contamination in loadlocks

Details Removal of particulate contamination in loadlocks Removal of particulate contamination in loadlocks

1996-07-15

1999-01-12

Warden, Jill

Cleaning and liquid contact with solids

Processes

Including application of electrical radiant or wave energy...

134 1, 134 21, 134 34, 134 37, B08B 600

Patent

active

058581081

ABSTRACT:
The invention teaches the removal of dust particles during semiconductor processing without the need to modify the processing chambers or to wait until they are not being used for their normal purposes. The dust removal operation is performed inside loadlocks instead the processing chambers. Dust removal, in a loadlock, is accomplished by first initiating a flow of gas over the wafer surface. Then a negative charge is induced at the surface for a period of time followed by the induction of a positive charge. This causes the charged particles to be repelled away from the surface, at which point they are swept away by the gas. To remove the electrically neutral dust particles, the induced surface charge is switched too rapidly for these particles to follow, so they are briefly repelled from the surface and then swept away by the gas.

REFERENCES:
patent: 5240046 (1993-08-01), Mack
patent: 5298720 (1994-03-01), Cuomo et al.
patent: 5410122 (1995-04-01), Su et al.
patent: 5584938 (1996-12-01), Douglas
Strasser et al., Reduction of Particles Contamination by Controlled venting and Pumping of Vacuum Loadlocks, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 4092-7, Nov. 1990.
Seto et al., Fine Particulate Contaminant Control by the UV/photoelectron Method under a Low Pressure Condition, Rev. Sci. Instrum., vol. 66, No. 11, pp. 5348-51, Nov. 1995.

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