Method and apparatus for substrate cleaning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11135624-B2
Application number	US-201916379294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2019
Priority date	Apr 10, 2018
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate cleaning method including: supplying of a liquid cleaning solution containing a thermoreactive polymer resin in a solvent to a substrate; trapping of particles by gelling the liquid cleaning solution by phase transition through first heat treatment; liquefying of the gel-state cleaning solution with the particle trapped therein by phase transition through second heat treatment; and removing of the liquefied cleaning solution by supplying a rinse solution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate cleaning method comprising:
supplying a liquid cleaning solution containing a thermoreactive polymer resin in a solvent to a substrate, wherein the thermoreactive polymer resin has a phase transition temperature,
wherein the phase transition temperature of the thermoreactive polymer resin has a value from 20° C. to 60° C.;
trapping particles by changing the liquid cleaning solution into a gel-state cleaning solution by phase transition of the thermoreactive polymer resin by heating the liquid cleaning solution through a first heat treatment;
liquefying the gel-state cleaning solution with the particle trapped therein by phase transition of the thermoreactive polymer resin by cooling the gel-state cleaning solution through a second heat treatment; and
removing the liquefied cleaning solution by supplying a rinse solution thereto,
wherein the thermoreactive polymer resin is gelled when the first heat treatment is performed at a temperature equal to or higher than the phase transition temperature of the thermoreactive polymer resin and is liquefied when the second heat treatment is performed at a temperature below the phase transition temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the thermoreactive polymer resin includes at least one of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), poly(N, N-diethylacrylamide), poly(N-ethylmethacylamide), poly(methyl vinyl ether), poly(2-ethoxyethyl vinyl ether), poly(N-vinylcaprolactam), poly(N-vinylisobutyramide), poly(N-N-vinyl-n-butyramide), poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate), poly(N-(L)-(1-hydroxymethyl) propyl methacrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol)/(poly(lactide-co-glicolide), polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene, polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene, and poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol).

3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the solvent of the liquid cleaning solution is a polar protic solvent.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the rinse solution is a solvent which is the same as the solvent of the liquid cleaning solution.

5. The method of claim 3 ,
wherein the solvent of the liquid cleaning solution includes at least one of water, methanol, ethanol, IPA, and acetic acid.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
discharging, as an effluent, a mixture of the liquid cleaning solution and the rinse solution; and
filtering and recycling the effluent as a new cleaning solution.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
adjusting a concentration of the new cleaning solution.

8. The method of claim 7 ,
wherein the adjusting of the concentration of the new cleaning solution comprises:
evaporating a part of the solvent from the new cleaning solution or adding thermoactive polymer resin to the new cleaning solution.

9. A substrate cleaning method comprising:
supplying a liquid cleaning solution containing a thermoreactive polymer resin in a solvent to a substrate, wherein the thermoreactive polymer resin has a phase transition temperature,
wherein the phase transition temperature of the thermoreactive polymer resin ranges from 20° C. to 60° C.;
trapping particles by changing the liquid cleaning solution into a gel-state cleaning solution by phase transition of the thermoreactive polymer resin by cooling the liquid cleaning solution through a first heat treatment;
liquefying the gel-state cleaning solution with the particle trapped therein by phase transition of the thermoreactive polymer resin by heating the gel-state cleaning solution through a second heat treatment; and
removing the liquefied cleaning solution by supplying a rinse solution thereto,
wherein the thermoreactive polymer resin is liquefied when the second heat treatment is performed at a temperature equal to or higher than the phase transition temperature of the thermoreactive polymer resin and is gelled when the first heat treatment is performed at a temperature below the phase transition temperature.

10. The method of claim 9 ,
wherein the thermoreactive polymer resin includes at least one of gelatin, poly(N-acryloylglycinamide), poly(acrylamide-co-acrylonitrile), Poly(methacrylamide), poly(acrylic acid), poly(allylamine-co-allylurea), poly(ethylene oxide), poly(vinylmethylether), Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate), N-vinylimidazole, and 1-vinyl-2-(hydroxylmethyl)imidazole.

11. The method of claim 9 ,
wherein the rinse solution is a solvent which is the same as the solvent of the liquid cleaning solution.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
discharging, as an effluent, a mixture of the liquid cleaning solution and the rinse solution; and
filtering and recycling the effluent as a new cleaning solution.

Assignees

• Semes Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jo Mi Young
• Kim Da Jeong
• Yeon Ye Rim
• Koo Jun Taek

Classifications

• H10P95/90

  Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P70/00

  Cleaning of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• H10P70/20

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title