Patent ID: 7503334

Claim:
A system for cleaning semiconductor wafers, the system comprising: a process vessel comprising a wafer support and a constructed to contain a supercritical cleaning solution comprising a cleaning solvent or cleaning solution; a solvent delivery mechanism configured for receiving a subcritical solvent and for providing the supercritical cleaning solution to the process vessel via a first input valve and a first flow path configured to deliver solvent to the process vessel; a recapture/recycle system configured for receiving solution from the process vessel, for processing the solution and for providing purified subcritical solvent to the solvent delivery mechanism; a recirculation system comprising: a second flow path, the second flow path comprising: a mixer; a filter; a second input valve; and a first output valve; wherein said second flow path is configured for direct supercritical fluid communication with the process vessel in a manner allowing the cleaning solvent, the cleaning solution, or the supercritical cleaning solution to recirculate between the process vessel and the recirculation system by exiting the process vessel via the second input valve, traversing the filter and the mixer and returning to the process vessel via the first output valve, thereby causing a flow field to be established over at least one surface of a wafer, to thereby clean the wafer; wherein said recirculation system is distinct from the solvent delivery mechanism and the recapture/recycle system such that said second input valve and first output valve are distinct from input and output valves of the solvent delivery mechanism and recapture/recycle system and the second flow path of the recirculation system is distinct from the first flow path of the solvent delivery mechanism.