Lifting and rinsing a wafer
US6505635B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 14, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S414/136
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A nozzle that extends telescopically upward is used to elevate a wafer without contacting the wafer. The nozzle includes a stationary hollow cylinder, closed at its lower end and open at its upper end, within which a spool is disposed to slide vertically. In its lowest position the spool is spaced from the closed bottom of the cylinder, and purified water is supplied under pressure to the space. A passage extends vertically through the spool, and the water is discharged at the upper end of the spool from the passage. As a wafer is lowered toward the upper end of the spool, the wafer partially impedes the discharge, increasing the pressure in the space below the spool. The increased pressure drives the spool and the wafer upward, but the wafer never comes into contact with the wafer because the discharge of water creates a protective cushion between them.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.