Methods and apparatus for displacing fluids from substrates using supercritical CO2

摘要

A processing chamber for post-wet-etch removing of drying fluid (DF) is disclosed. The chamber includes a chamber wall surrounding a processing volume and a plurality of nozzles disposed annularly about the processing volume and arranged into a set of nozzle rows that includes at least one nozzle row. The chamber also includes a plenum and a set of manifolds coupled to the plurality of nozzles to deliver the supercritical CO2 to the plurality of nozzles. Each nozzle has a nozzle outlet directed toward an interior portion of the processing volume and the nozzles are configured to flow the supercritical CO2 toward the substrates in a manner that minimizes recirculation loops and vortices.

主权项

1. A processing chamber for processing semiconductor substrates, said processing includes at least post-wet-processing removal of drying fluid (DF) from at least one substrate using supercritical CO2, comprising:
a chamber wall surrounding a processing volume of the processing chamber; a plenum extending only vertically between a lower end and an upper end, the plenum defining the chamber wall for the processing chamber, the plenum having an interior channel between the lower end and the upper end, the plenum having a supply connection to the supercritical CO2 at the lower end of the plenum; a set of manifolds coupled to said plenum, the set of manifolds arranged in rows, wherein each row is spaced apart from another row along the chamber wall, and each row is disposed at a distinct vertical position along the chamber wall, and each of the set of manifolds having a horizontal manifold connection to the interior channel of the plenum; a set of nozzles, each nozzle being coupled to one of the horizontal manifolds and each nozzle having a nozzle output on an interior-facing surface of the plenum that is directed toward the processing volume of the processing chamber; wherein said nozzle outputs are disposed flush within the interior-facing surface of the plenum; wherein each of the nozzle outputs is oriented substantially perpendicular to said chamber wall.