Patent ID: 8314055
Filing Date: 2012-11-20
Classification: B08B,C11D,H01L

Abstract:
1. A cleaning material applied on a surface of a patterned substrate for defining integrated circuit devices to remove contaminants from the surface, comprising: a solvent; a buffering agent to change a potential of hydrogen (pH) value of the cleaning material, wherein the buffering agent and the solvent form a cleaning solution, the buffering agent including ammonium hydroxide; polymers of one or more polymeric compounds, wherein the one or more polymeric compounds are dissolved in the solvent, the solubilized polymers having long polymer chains, which capture and entrap at least some of the contaminants from the surface of the patterned substrate for defining integrated circuit devices, the cleaning material being defined as a liquid phase, wherein the cleaning material deforms around device features on the surface of the patterned substrate when a force is applied on the cleaning material covering the patterned substrate; a surfactant to assist dispersing the polymers in the cleaning material and to assist wetting the surface of the patterned substrate; and an ion-providing compound, which ionizes in the cleaning solution to provide greater ionic strength to the cleaning material to modify the viscosity of the cleaning material such that the viscosity of the cleaning material is between about 100 cP to about 100,000 cP measured at a reference shear rate less than about 100/s, the ion-providing compound including citric acid; wherein the cleaning material is applied on the surface of the patterned substrate to remove contaminants from the surface without substantially damaging the device features on the surface, the cleaning material being free of abrasive particles before the cleaning material is applied on the surface of the patterned substrate.