Patent · US Expired

Etching and cleaning methods and etching and cleaning apparatus used therefor

US6683007B1 · kind B1 · utility

29Cited by
13References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 14, 2000
Grant dateJan 27, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 14, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/68707
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An etching/cleaning method makes it possible to effectively remove unnecessary materials on a semiconductor wafer, having a surface peripheral area and a surface device area, without damaging the device area. The semiconductor is rotated in a horizontal plane while an etching/cleaning liquid is emitted by an edge nozzle toward the surface peripheral area, thereby selectively etching an unnecessary material in the surface peripheral area. The etching/cleaning liquid emitted from the edge nozzle preferably has an emission direction oriented along a rotation direction of the wafer or outward with respect to a tangent of the wafer formed near a contact point of the liquid with the surface peripheral area of the wafer.

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