Patent ID: 6500268
Filing Date: 2002-12-31
Classification: B03C,B08B,B81C,G02F,H01L

Abstract:
A method of cleaning objects in the chamber from particles, that attach themselves to surfaces of the objects, comprising:inserting a substrate into a chamber; applying a high energy photon from a light source on a surface of the substrate to release one or more particles from the surface of the substrate while maintaining the substrate in a vacuum environment of the chamber; applying an electrostatic force from an electrode directed to the substrate to attract the released one or more particles from the substrate to remove the one or more particles from the surface of the substrate; removing the substrate from the chamber; repeating the steps of applying the high energy photon from the electromagnetic energy source, applying the electrostatic force from the electrode and removing the substrate; inserting a collector substrate into the chamber; applying a high energy photon from the light source on the electrode to release one or more particles from the surface of the electrode while maintaining the electrode in the vacuum environment of the chamber; applying an electrostatic force from the electrode directed to the collector substrate to attract the released one or more particles from the electrode to the collector substrate to remove the one or more particles from the surface of the electrode to clean the electrode from the particles; and removing the collector substrate from the chamber.