Patent ID: 8899248

Claim:
An apparatus for processing a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a) a processing chamber including a workpiece support disposed therein, wherein a workpiece having a workpiece surface can be positioned onto the workpiece support during a process; b) a barrier plate structure that overlies and covers the workpiece during a process, wherein the barrier plate structure is positioned apart from the workpiece surface such that a process space is present between the barrier plate structure and the workpiece surface and wherein the barrier structure comprises: i) at least first and second linear arrays of nozzles integrated within the barrier plate structure in a manner effective to dispense one or more processing materials; and ii) one or more processing material supply conduits in the barrier plate structure through which one or more processing materials are supplied to the first and second linear arrays of nozzles; and c) one or more sources of pressurized processing materials in fluid communication with the one or more processing material supply conduits, wherein each nozzle of the first and second linear arrays comprises a nozzle channel and a nozzle outlet integrated within the barrier plate structure and more than one nozzle from the first linear array is configured and directionally positioned in an angled manner relative to a corresponding nozzle from the second linear array so that when a first stream of pressurized processing material is dispensed from the more than one nozzle from the first linear array the first stream of pressurized processing material is directed to intersect in the process space between the barrier plate structure and the workpiece surface and atomizingly collide externally from the barrier plate structure with a second stream of pressurized processing material dispensed from the corresponding nozzle from the second linear array so that the atomized processing material(s) flow downward onto the workpiece surface.