Patent ID: 7722724

Claim:
A method for processing a substrate when moved between cluster tools, comprising: (a) providing the substrate to a robot of a cluster tool, the robot is configured to move the substrate into a module of the cluster tool to perform at least one of, etching, planarizing, megasonically processing, or cleaning; (b) moving the substrate by way of the robot to a drying module having at least one proximity head, the proximity head being configured to perform operations including, (i) applying a fluid onto a region of a surface of the substrate, the fluid being continuously flown so as to substantially fill the region between a surface of the proximity head and the surface of the substrate, the applying defined through the surface of the proximity via a plurality discrete fluid supplies; (ii) removing the fluid from the region by applying a vacuum force through a plurality of discrete holes defined across the surface of the proximity head, and the applying and removing is operated substantially simultaneously so that the fluid forms a controlled fluid meniscus that is maintained between the surface of the substrate and the surface of the proximity head when moved across the surface of the substrate; and (iii) moving one of the controlled fluid meniscus or the substrate so that the controlled fluid meniscus is caused to contact regions of the surface of the substrate to cause drying of the surface of the substrate when in the drying module, and the surface of the proximity being placed in non-contact proximity to the surface of the substrate; (c) moving the substrate by way of the robot out of the drying module and into a next module of the of the cluster tool or out of the cluster tool.