Patent ID: 7514015

Claim:
A method for cleaning a substrate, the method comprising: providing a substrate to a cleaning chamber, where the substrate includes contamination on an upper surface thereof; introducing a gas mixture to the cleaning chamber at a substantially constant flow rate, where the introducing comprises: providing a first flow at a rate of 4 liters per minute to 15 liters per minute, where the first flow includes ozone at a concentration in a range of 6.9% to 14.3% by volume and where the first flow includes oxygen, providing a second flow at a rate of 0.25 liters per minute, where the second flow includes water vapor, and wherein the first flow and the second flow cooperatively form the gas mixture in the cleaning chamber; providing laser radiation to the contamination via a solid state laser having an output wavelength of 355 nanometers (nm), a pulse energy in a range of 0.55 milli-Joules (mJ) to 0.99 mJ, and a pulse repetition rate in a range of 1 kilo-Hertz (kHz) to 100 kHz; maintaining the substrate at a temperature in a range of 20 degrees centigrade (° C.) to 120° C. while the contamination is exposed to the laser radiation in the cleaning chamber; and maintaining the cleaning chamber at a pressure in a range of 5 Torr to 760 Torr while the contamination is exposed to the laser radiation in the cleaning chamber, wherein the introducing the gas mixture and the providing laser radiation causes the contamination from the upper surface of the substrate to be removed, leaving the upper surface of the substrate substantially free of damage and substantially free of contamination.