Methods for Treating Surfaces, Methods for Removing One or More Materials from Surfaces, and Apparatuses for Treating Surfaces

Abstract

Some embodiments include utilization of both plasma and aerosol to treat substrate surfaces. The plasma and aerosol may be utilized simultaneously, or sequentially. In some embodiments, the plasma forms a plasma sheath over the substrate surfaces, with the plasma sheath having an electric field gradient therein. The aerosol comprises liquid particles charged to a polarity, and such polarity is transferred to contaminants on the substrate surfaces through interaction with the aerosol. The polarity may be used to assist in dislodging the contaminants from the substrate surfaces. The electric field of the plasma sheath may then sweep the contaminants away from the substrate surfaces. In some embodiments, multiple different aerosols are formed to remove multiple different types of materials from substrate surfaces. Some embodiments include apparatuses configured for treating substrate surfaces with both plasma and aerosol.

I/we claim: 
     
         1 . A method of treating a surface, comprising:
 forming liquid aerosol particles; and   passing at least some of the liquid aerosol particles through a plasma sheath to a semiconductor substrate surface to treat said surface.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the forming of the liquid aerosol particles comprises passing a liquid through an electrohydrodynamic atomization nozzle. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the liquid aerosol particles are formed to comprise a first polarity, and wherein the surface is charged to the same polarity as the liquid aerosol particles during the treating of the surface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the surface is a surface of a semiconductor substrate. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the treating comprises utilizing the liquid aerosol particles for removal of one or more materials from the surface. 
     
     
         6 . A method for removing one or more materials from a surface, comprising:
 atomizing a liquid to form an aerosol;   passing at least some of aerosol across a space within a chamber to impact a semiconductor substrate surface;   the impacting of the aerosol being utilized in ejecting one or more materials from the semiconductor substrate surface; and   exposing the semiconductor substrate surface to a plasma within the chamber.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the exposing assists with the ejecting, and wherein the one or more materials are negatively charged during the ejecting. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the exposing assists with the ejecting, and wherein the one or more materials are positively charged during the ejecting. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the exposing occurs during the impacting. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the plasma imparts oxidizing chemistry to the semiconductor substrate surface. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the plasma imparts reducing chemistry to the semiconductor substrate surface. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the plasma comprises one or more components selected from the group consisting of hydrogen-containing components, halogen-containing components, oxygen-containing components and nitrogen-containing components. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the plasma is chemically inert relative to reaction with the semiconductor substrate surface. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the exposing occurs at a different and non-overlapping time relative to the impacting. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the plasma imparts oxidizing chemistry to the semiconductor substrate surface. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the plasma imparts reducing chemistry to the semiconductor substrate surface. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the plasma is chemically inert relative to reaction with the semiconductor substrate surface. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the exposing occurs during the impacting, and lasts for a duration longer than a duration of the impacting. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the exposing is initiated prior to the impacting. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the exposing continues after ceasing the impacting. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the ejected materials comprise one or more of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and organic compositions. 
     
     
         22 . A method for removing one or more materials from a semiconductor substrate surface, comprising:
 placing the semiconductor substrate within a chamber;   forming a plasma within the chamber, the forming of the plasma creating a plasma sheath along an exposed surface of the semiconductor substrate, and forming a bulk of the plasma over the plasma sheath; the plasma sheath comprising an electric field gradient;   directing liquid aerosol particles through the plasma sheath and to the semiconductor substrate surface;   utilizing the liquid aerosol particles to dislodge one or more materials from the semiconductor substrate surface; the dislodged materials having a polarity; and   utilizing the electric field gradient of the plasma sheath to sweep the dislodged materials away from the semiconductor substrate surface and toward the bulk plasma.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  further comprising exhausting components of the plasma from within the chamber, and exhausting the dislodged materials from within the chamber during the exhausting of the components of the plasma. 
     
     
         24 . An apparatus for treating a surface, comprising:
 a chamber;   plasma generation circuitry proximate the chamber and configured for maintaining a plasma within the chamber; and   an aerosol-forming nozzle proximate the chamber and configured for directing aerosol into the chamber.   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24  wherein the aerosol-forming nozzle is an electrohydrodynamic atomization nozzle. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 24  further comprising a holder within the chamber configured to retain a semiconductor substrate, and wherein the apparatus is configured to treat a surface of the semiconductor substrate. 
     
     
         27 . An apparatus for treating a surface, comprising:
 a chamber;   plasma generation circuitry proximate the chamber and configured for maintaining plasma within the chamber;   at least two aerosol-forming nozzles proximate the chamber and configured for directing aerosol into the chamber, one of the aerosol-forming nozzles being a first aerosol-forming nozzle and another of the aerosol-forming nozzles being a second aerosol-forming nozzle; and   at least two liquid reservoirs; a first of the liquid reservoirs being in fluid communication with the first aerosol-forming nozzle and not with the second aerosol-forming nozzle, and a second of the liquid reservoirs being in fluid communication with the second aerosol-forming nozzle and not with the first aerosol-forming nozzle.   
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27  wherein the aerosol-forming nozzles are electrohydrodynamic atomization nozzles. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 27  further comprising a first liquid within the first liquid reservoir and a second liquid within the second liquid reservoir; and wherein the first liquid has a different composition than the second liquid. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 27  further comprising a first liquid within the first liquid reservoir and a second liquid within the second liquid reservoir; and wherein the first liquid is acidic and the second liquid is basic. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 27  further comprising a holder within the chamber configured to retain a semiconductor substrate, and wherein the apparatus is configured to treat a surface of the semiconductor substrate.