Claims
- 1. A method for removing defect particles from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing the wafer proximate to a frozen substrate;
- moving the wafer relative to the frozen substrate; and
- causing a portion of the frozen substrate to liquefy, thereby removing the defect particles without removing part of the wafer.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the frozen substrate is a piece of frozen deionized ice.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the frozen substrate does not react with the wafer.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the frozen substrate does not react with the defect particles.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the frozen substrate does not contact the wafer.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein a distance is kept between the frozen substrate and the wafer by the liquefied portion of the frozen substrate.
- 7. A method for removing defect particles from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing the wafer proximate to a frozen substrate;
- spinning the wafer relative to the frozen substrate; and
- causing a portion of the frozen substrate to liquefy, thereby removing the defect particles from the wafer without having the frozen substrate contact the wafer directly and without removing part of the wafer.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the frozen substrate is a piece of frozen deionized ice.
- 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the frozen substrate does not react with the wafer.
- 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the frozen substrate does not react with the defect particles.
- 11. The method of claim 7 wherein a distance is kept between the frozen substrate and the wafer by the liquefied portion of the frozen substrate.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application relies on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/072,051, entitled "Solid Phase Water Scrub for Defect Removal," filed Jan. 21, 1998.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
5283989 |
Hisasue et al. |
Feb 1994 |
|
5348615 |
Gupta |
Sep 1994 |
|