Patent · US Expired

Surface purification apparatus and surface purification method

US6630031B1 · kind B1 · utility

1Cited by
7References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 12, 1999
Grant dateOct 7, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 12, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S438/906
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

By a simple apparatus construction and process, it is made possible to “clean precisely” a surface at the molecular/atomic level, and the purification degree of the surface processed minutely is made into 1012 molecules/cm2 or less. A steam-spraying nozzle is disposed such that a line slit nozzle is in a diameter direction, and mist-containing steam is sprayed onto the surface of a substrate. Thereby, particles in the steam-spraying surface (the particles were made to adhere by dipping the substrate in a solution containing polystyrene (particle diameter of 0.6 &mgr;m) or alumina (particle diameter of 0.3 &mgr;m to 0.5 &mgr;m) particles at 105 particles/ml.) are removed by about 90% to 95% after ten-seconds spraying, and by 99% or more, that is, to less than the detection limit of a wafer inspection device, after twenty-seconds spraying.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.