Apparatus and method for treating surfaces of semiconductor wafers using ozone

Abstract

An apparatus and method for treating surfaces of semiconductor wafers with a reactive gas, such as ozone, utilizes streams of gaseous material ejected from a gas nozzle structure to create depressions on or holes through a boundary layer of processing fluid formed on a semiconductor wafer surface to increase the amount of reactive gas that reaches the wafer surface through the boundary layer. The apparatus and method may be used to clean a semiconductor wafer surface and/or grow an oxide layer on the wafer surface by oxidation.

1 . An apparatus for treating a surface of an object with a reactive gas comprising: 
 an object holding structure configured to hold said object;    a rotational drive mechanism connected to the object holding structure to rotate the object holding structure and said object;    a fluid dispensing structure positioned relative to said object holding structure to dispense a processing fluid onto said surface of said object, said processing fluid forming a fluid layer on said surface; and    a gas nozzle structure positioned relative to said object holding structure to eject multiple streams of gaseous material onto said fluid layer formed on said surface of said object at different locations on said fluid layer, said gas nozzle structure being configured to introduce said reactive gas to reach and react with said surface of said object.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a pressure controlling device operatively connected to said gas nozzle structure to control pressure of said multiple streams of gaseous material.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said pressure controlling device is configured to adjust said pressure of said multiple streams of gaseous material such that depressions are made on said fluid layer by said multiple streams of gaseous material to control thickness of said fluid layer at said depressions.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said pressure controlling device is configured to adjust said pressure of said multiple streams of gaseous material such that holes through said fluid layer are made by said multiple streams of gaseous material.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said gaseous material includes said reactive gas.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said gas nozzle structure includes an elongated gas opening to eject a wall-like stream of gaseous material onto said processing fluid layer.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said gas nozzle structure includes multiple openings, said gas nozzle structure being configured to eject at least one stream of inert gas from said multiple openings and at least one stream of reactive gas from said multiple openings.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said fluid dispensing structure is configured to dispense said processing fluid in the form of a spray onto said surface of said object.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said fluid dispensing structure is configured to dispense said processing fluid in the form of a fog onto said surface of said object.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein said fluid dispensing structure includes an acoustic transducer to generate said fog of said processing fluid using sonic energy.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said gas nozzle structure is shaped in a bar-like configuration.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said gas nozzle structure includes a grid-like portion with a plurality of spaces, said spaces of said grid-like portion allowing said processing fluid dispensed from said fluid dispensing structure to pass through said gas nozzle structure.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said gas nozzle structure is shaped in a triangular configuration.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus for treating a surface of an object with a reactive gas comprising: 
 an object holding structure configured to hold said object;    a rotational drive mechanism connected to the object holding structure to rotate the object holding structure and said object;    a fluid dispensing structure positioned relative to said object holding structure to dispense a processing fluid onto said surface of said object, said processing fluid forming a fluid layer on said surface; and    a gas nozzle structure including an elongated gas opening, said gas nozzle structure being positioned relative to said object holding structure to eject a wall-like stream of gaseous material from said elongated gas opening onto said fluid layer formed on said surface of said object, said gas nozzle structure being configured to introduce said reactive gas to reach and react with said surface of said object.    
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  further comprising a pressure controlling device operatively connected to said gas nozzle structure to control pressure of said wall-like stream of gaseous material from said elongated gas opening of said gas nozzle structure.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein said pressure controlling device is configured to adjust said pressure of said wall-like stream of gaseous material such that a depression is made on said fluid layer by said wall-like stream of gaseous material to control thickness of said fluid layer at said depression.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein said pressure controlling device is configured to adjust said pressure of said wall-like stream of gaseous material such that said wall-like stream of gaseous material directly contact said surface of said object through said fluid layer.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein said gaseous material includes said reactive gas.  
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein said gas nozzle structure is configured to eject one of a wall-like stream of inert gas and a wall-like stream of reactive gas from said elongated gas opening.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein said gas nozzle structure includes at least one additional gas opening to eject one of a stream of inert gas and a stream of reactive gas.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein said fluid dispensing structure is configured to dispense said processing fluid in the form of a spray onto said surface of said object.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein said fluid dispensing structure is configured to dispense said processing fluid in the form of a fog onto said surface of said object.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said fluid dispensing structure includes an acoustic transducer to generate said fog of said processing fluid using sonic energy.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein said gas nozzle structure is shaped in a bar-like configuration.  
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein said gas nozzle structure is shaped in a triangular configuration.