Patent ID: 8075704

Claim:
A method for the removal of airborne molecular contaminants (AMC) from a substrate, comprising: outgassing the AMC from a surface of the substrate under conditions that do not chemically change or alter the AMC, by contacting at least a portion of the substrate with a purified purge gas at a temperature of about 20° C. to 100° C., the purified purge gas comprising oxygen (O 2 ) and water, the purified purge gas having an AMC concentration less than about 1 part trillion (ppt) on a volume basis, the substrate contaminated with AMC before the substrate is contacted with the purified purge gas; producing a contaminated purge gas by transferring a portion of the outgassed contaminants from the substrate into the purified purge gas; and removing the contaminated purge gas from the substrate, thereby removing AMC from the substrate, wherein the portion of the outgassed contaminants is transferred into the purified purge gas by diffusion or desorption.