Patent ID: 6328814
Filing Date: 2001-12-11
Classification: H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for rinsing and drying a substrate, comprising:a tank of cleaning fluid, for at least partially submerging a substrate;a lifting mechanism operatively coupled to the tank for lifting a substrate from the cleaning fluid;a rinsing fluid source positioned to supply rinsing fluid to the surface of a substrate as the lifting mechanism lifts the substrate from the cleaning fluid, wherein the rinsing fluid contacts the substrate thereby forming an air/substrate/rinsing fluid interface, the rinsing fluid source extending the diameter of the substrate and comprising an array of nozzles positioned so that a rinsing fluid spray wets each portion of the substrate's surface at and below the air/substrate/rinsing fluid interface,a drying vapor source positioned to supply drying vapors to the air/substrate/rinsing fluid interface; anda controller operatively coupled to the array of nozzles such that a plurality of nozzles in the array can be independently turned on and off.