Patent ID: 7377982

Claim:
A method for the removal of airborne molecular contaminants (AMC) from a substrate, comprising: providing a humidified purified purge gas which has been humidified by the addition of water thereto, the humidified purified purge gas having a contaminant concentration of less than about 1 part per billion (ppb) on a volume basis of at least one of the contaminants selected from the group consisting of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, Si-containing organics, organophosphates, amines, SiO 2 compounds, PO 4 compounds; and non-methane hydrocarbons; contacting at least a portion of the substrate with the humidified purified purge gas under conditions that do not chemically change the AMC; producing a contaminated purge gas by transferring AMC from the substrate into the humidified purified purge gas; and removing the contaminated purge gas from the substrate, thereby removing AMC from the substrate.