Patent ID: 7582181

Claim:
A processing system for treating a substrate comprising: a processing chamber configured to treat said substrate with a fluid, introduced therein, having substantially supercritical fluid properties; a supercritical fluid source; a fluid supply system coupled to said processing chamber, and configured to introduce a fluid from said supercritical fluid source to said processing chamber; a fluid flow system coupled to said processing chamber, and configured to flow said fluid through said processing chamber over said substrate; one or more inlets coupled to said fluid flow system, and configured to introduce said fluid to said processing chamber; an outlet manifold coupled to said fluid flow system and having: three or more outlets coupled to said fluid flow system and positioned adjacent a surface of said substrate, wherein said three or more outlets are configured to remove said fluid from said processing chamber, and a valve manifold coupled to said three or more outlets and configured to cyclically and sequentially alter the flow of said fluid through said three or more outlets; and said one or more inlets being coupled to said processing chamber at a peripheral edge of said substrate.