Apparatus and method for single substrate processing

Abstract

In a method for treating a semiconductor substrate, a single substrate is positioned in a single-substrate process chamber and subjected to wet etching, cleaning and/or drying steps. The single substrate may be exposed to etch or clean chemistry in the single-substrate processing chamber as turbulence is induced in the etch or clean chemistry to thin the boundary layer of fluid attached to the substrate. Megasonic energy and/or disturbances in the chamber surfaces may provide the turbulence for boundary layer thinning. According to another aspect of a method according to the present invention, megasonic energy may be directed into a region within the single-substrate process chamber to create a zone of boundary layer thinning across the substrate surface, and a single substrate may be translated through the zone during a rinsing or cleaning process within the chamber to optimize cleaning/rinsing performance within the zone.

claims 1-120. (CANCELED)  
     
         121 . A method of treating and drying a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a chamber proportioned to process at least one substrate, the chamber including a lower portion and an upper portion;    (b) exposing at least one substrate to a process fluid in the lower portion of the chamber;    (c) directing megasonic energy into the process fluid,    (d) forming an atmosphere of drying vapor in an upper region in the chamber;    (e) during step (c), withdrawing the substrate from the process fluid in a lower region of the chamber into the upper region of the chamber.    
     
     
         122 . The method of  claim 121 , wherein step (c) forms a band of megasonic energy propagating towards a surface of the substrate, wherein the withdrawing step causes the substrate to pass through the band, and wherein the megasonic energy induces thinning of a boundary layer on the portion of the substrate passing through the band.  
     
     
         123 . The method of  claim 122 , wherein the withdrawing step is performed at a rate of approximately 8-20 mm/sec.  
     
     
         124 . The method of  claim 123 , wherein the megasonic energy is propagated in a direction normal to the substrate surface.  
     
     
         125 . The method of  claim 123 , wherein the megasonic energy is propagated at an angle that is less than normal to the substrate surface.  
     
     
         126 . The method of  claim 121 , further including, after step (e), introducing a heated gas into the chamber to evaporate condensed drying vapor from the surface of the substrate.  
     
     
         127 . The method of  claim 126 , wherein the heated gas is introduced through one or more inlets into the chamber, and wherein the method further includes translating the substrate past the inlets to accelerate evaporation.  
     
     
         128 . The method of  claim 121 , wherein step (b) includes exposing only one substrate to a process fluid in the lower portion of the chamber.  
     
     
         129 . The method of  claim 121 , wherein the process fluid includes deionized water.  
     
     
         130 . The method of  claim 121 , wherein the drying vapor includes isopropyl alcohol vapor.  
     
     
         131 . The method of  claim 121 , wherein the atmosphere of drying vapor includes nitrogen gas.  
     
     
         132 . The method of  claim 126 , wherein the gas is nitrogen gas.  
     
     
         133 . The method of  claim 121 , wherein the megasonic energy induces thinning of a boundary layer on the substrate.  
     
     
         134 . An apparatus for treating and drying a substrate, the apparatus comprising: 
 a chamber proportioned to process at least one substrate, the chamber including a lower portion and an upper portion;    a source of a process fluid fluidly coupled to the lower portion of the chamber;    a source of drying vapor fluidly coupled to an upper portion of the chamber, to create an atmosphere of drying vapor in the upper portion;    an end effector having a substrate-receiving member moveable between the lower portion of the chamber and the upper portion of the chamber, said end effector operable to withdraw a substrate from process fluid in the lower portion into the atmosphere of drying vapor in the upper portion; and    a megasonic transducer positioned to direct megasonic energy into process fluid in the chamber.    
     
     
         135 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the transducer is positioned to form a band of megasonic energy propagating towards a surface of the substrate, wherein the end effector is positioned to move the substrate through the band, and wherein the megasonic energy induces thinning of a boundary layer on the portion of the substrate passing through the band.  
     
     
         136 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the end effector is configured to withdraw the substrate through the band at a rate of approximately 8-20 mm/sec.  
     
     
         137 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the megasonic transducer is oriented to propagate energy in a direction normal to the substrate surface.  
     
     
         138 . The method of  claim 134 , wherein the megasonic transducer is oriented to propagate energy at an angle that is less than normal to the substrate surface.  
     
     
         139 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , further including a source of heated gas fluidly coupled to the chamber to volatilize condensed drying vapor from a surface of a substrate.  
     
     
         140 . The apparatus of  claim 139 , further including one or more inlets in the chamber for introduction of the heated gas into the chamber, and an end effector having a substrate-receiving portion moveable to translate a substrate past the inlets to accelerate evaporation.  
     
     
         141 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the drying vapor includes isopropyl alcohol.  
     
     
         142 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the apparatus includes a system, the chamber forming a part of the system, and wherein the apparatus further includes means for exhausting drying vapor from the system.  
     
     
         143 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the process fluid includes deionized water.  
     
     
         144 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the chamber is proportioned to process only one substrate at a time.  
     
     
         145 . The apparatus of  claim 134 , wherein the transducer is positioned such that megasonic energy induces thinning of a boundary layer on the substrate as the substrate is moved from the process fluid into the atmosphere of drying vapor