Substrate cleaning apparatus

Abstract

A substrate cleaning apparatus comprises an outer shell constructed such that the outer shell is selectively openable or hermetically closable to form a sealed space, an inner shell enclosed within the outer shell and having a holding member for holding a substrate, and a dispenser unit for feeding at least one of gas and liquid into the inner shell. Within the sealed space formed by the outer shell, a highly gas-tight space is formed by the inner shell to permit cleaning of the substrate within the highly gas-tight space. Also disclosed are a dispenser, a substrate holding mechanism and a substrate cleaning chamber, which are suitable for use with the substrate cleaning apparatus, and substrate cleaning processes making use of these dispenser, substrate holding mechanism and substrate cleaning chamber, respectively.

1 - 8 . (canceled)  
   
   
       9 . A dispenser useful in cleaning a substrate, comprising: 
 a pair of upper and lower members provided at inner end portions thereof with flat areas capable of extending over at least parts of front and back sides of a substrate, respectively, a vertical movement control mechanism for fixing said flat areas substantially in parallel with said substrate, with desired clearances between said front and back sides of said substrate and the corresponding ones of said flat areas, without any contact between said front and back sides of said substrate and said corresponding flat areas, and at least one nozzle arranged at one of said flat areas and at least one nozzle arranged at the other flat area such that at least one of gas and liquid can be fed to said front and back sides of said substrate.    
   
   
       10 . A dispenser according to  claim 9 , wherein said flat areas are each provided with plural nozzles arranged at equal intervals in a concentric or linear pattern or over the entire area.  
   
   
       11 - 16 . (canceled)