In-Situ Cleaning Assembly

Abstract

A cleaning chamber is provided. The cleaning chamber includes a base portion housing a chuck and a lid affixed to the base portion. A support assembly is linked to the lid and the support assembly includes a top plate spaced apart from a bottom plate, the top plate has a plurality of openings defined therethrough and the bottom plate has a plurality of openings defined therethrough. The cleaning chamber includes a plurality of cups extending through corresponding pairs of the plurality of openings of the top plate and the bottom plate. The plurality of cups is configured to seal against a surface of a substrate, wherein each cup of the plurality of cups is independently supported by the bottom plate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for cleaning a substrate having a plurality of regions defined thereon, the method comprising:
 combinatorially processing the substrate, wherein different regions are processed differently;   isolating each of the regions;   submerging the substrate in a cleaning fluid, thereby cleaning areas of the substrate external to the regions;   exposing each of the regions; and   processing the substrate in a full wafer cleaning tool.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the isolating comprises applying pressurized gas to a cup contacting the substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the isolating comprises:
 applying a vacuum to a cup contacting the substrate;   releasing the vacuum applied to the cup; and   applying a pressurized gas to the cup.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the applying of the pressurized gas to the cup includes pressurizing the interior volume of the cup to prevent chemicals from entering the isolated region during the submersion of the substrate into the cleaning fluid. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein an interior volume of the cup is pressurized to two pounds per square inch. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein an inert gas is utilized to supply the pressure to the cup. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the inert gas is supplied through a channel of the cup;
 wherein the channel region is defined over the region; wherein the inert gas creates positive pressure within the cavity; and wherein the positive pressure prevents the cleaning fluid from entering the cavity.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the isolating comprises:
 contacting a subset of the regions with corresponding support cups;   applying a vacuum through the corresponding support cups while a bottom surface of the support cup contacts the substrate;   transporting the substrate; and   contacting a remaining subset of the site isolated regions with remaining corresponding support cups after releasing the vacuum.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the contacting of the subset of the regions occurs while the substrate is supported on an end effector. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the substrate is transported from an end effector to a substrate support of a cleaning module after applying the vacuum through the corresponding support cups. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the isolating of the regions comprises coupling a plurality of cups onto the substrate over the site isolated regions using sufficient force to seal a bottom surface of each of the plurality of cups to the surface of the substrate. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising drying the substrate after the areas of the substrate external to the regions are cleaned. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein drying the substrate includes spinning the substrate using a rotatable chuck. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising setting the disposition of the substrate within the full wafer cleaning tool to a suitable position by adjusting a deflection of at least one cup supporting the substrate. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one cup is deflected in a vertical direction. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the exposing of the site isolated region comprises removing a cup from the site isolated region. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising inserting the substrate into a conventional processing line for further processing. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein combinatorially processing the substrate includes processing at least  28  site isolated regions differently. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein combinatorially processing the substrate includes varying at least one of materials, unit processes, or process sequences in the different regions. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein isolating the site isolated regions comprises utilizing a portion of a plurality of cups to support the substrate as the substrate is removed from a transport mechanism to the full wafer cleaning tool and utilizing a remaining portion of the plurality of cups to isolate the site isolated regions of the substrate after the substrate is placed in the full wafer cleaning tool.