US2006011215A1PendingUtilityA1

Method and reducing water spotting and oxide growth on a semiconductor structure

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Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Mar 21, 1997Filed: Aug 25, 2005Published: Jan 19, 2006
Est. expiryMar 21, 2017(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Donald L. Yates
H10P 72/0416H10P 72/0406H10P 70/20H10P 70/15H10P 72/0408Y10S134/902
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Claims

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of cleaning and drying a semiconductor structure in a modified conventional gas etch/rinse or dryer vessel.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A method for controlling the flow of liquids from a substantially enclosed vessel for cleaning semiconductor wafers using DI water and a drying liquid forming a DI water bath, comprising: 
 providing a valve in the vessel having a fail-safe closed position for controlling the flow of liquids from the vessel;    forming a DI water bath in the vessel: and    opening the valve for displacing the DI water bath through the valve by pressurizing the substantially enclosed vessel for the semiconductor wafers to pass through a layer of drying liquid.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a surface formed by the DI water bath is located substantially above the semiconductor wafers.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the drying liquid comprises an anhydrous liquid.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 rinsing the semiconductor structure in an aqueous HF solution prior to rinsing the semiconductor wafers.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 performing an HF dry etch on the semiconductor wafers prior to rinsing the semiconductor wafers.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 performing a buffered oxide etch on the semiconductor structure prior to rinsing the semiconductor wafers.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 performing a polysilicon etch on the semiconductor structure prior to rinsing the semiconductor wafers.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising an atmosphere of inert gas including nitrogen.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substantially continuous layer of drying liquid includes isopropyl alcohol.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 introducing isopropyl alcohol vapor with a nitrogen gas acting as a carrier prior to forming the substantially continuous layer of drying liquid.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 draining the DI water from the substantially enclosed treatment vessel.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 displacing the DI water bath from the substantially enclosed treatment vessel.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 injecting a gas into the substantially enclosed treatment vessel to displace the DI water bath therefrom.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substantially enclosed treatment vessel comprises one of a spray/dump rinser, a cascade rinser, an overflow rinser, and a Marangoni dryer.  
     
     
         15 . A method of cleaning a semiconductor structure in an enclosed vessel, comprising: 
 installing a fail-shut effluent valve for allowing removal of liquids form the enclosed vessel;    feeding an inert gas for the substantially enclosed treatment vessel for purging the substantially enclosed treatment vessel with the inert gas to provide an inert gas atmosphere in the substantially enclosed treatment vessel;    positioning a semiconductor structure within the substantially enclosed treatment vessel for rinsing of the semiconductor structure using DI water in the inert gas atmosphere within the substantially enclosed treatment vessel when a portion of the substantially enclosed treatment vessel is filled using the DI water and the semiconductor structure is submerged in at least a portion of the DI water;    feeding an organic vapor in the substantially enclosed treatment vessel displacing a portion of the inert gas in the substantially enclosed treatment vessel forming a substantially continuous layer of organic liquid on a surface of the DI water, the substantially continuous layer of organic liquid forming an organic vapor-DI water interface;    displacing the DI water through the fail-shut effluent valve by feeding additional inert gas into the substantially enclosed treatment vessel, such that the substantially continuous layer of organic liquid substantially wipes down the semiconductor structure; and    transferring the semiconductor structure from the substantially enclosed treatment vessel.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the surface formed by the DI water and the inert gas is located substantially above the semiconductor structure.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the substantially continuous layer of organic liquid comprises an anhydrous liquid.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 rinsing the semiconductor structure in an aqueous HF solution prior to rinsing the semiconductor structure.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 performing an HF dry etch on the semiconductor structure prior to rinsing the semiconductor structure.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 performing a buffered oxide etch on the semiconductor structure prior to rinsing the semiconductor structure.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 performing a polysilicon etch on the semiconductor structure prior to rinsing the semiconductor structure.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the inert gas includes nitrogen.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the substantially continuous layer of organic liquid includes isopropyl alcohol.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 introducing isopropyl alcohol vapor with a nitrogen gas acting as a carrier prior to forming the substantially continuous layer of organic liquid.    
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 draining the DI water from the substantially enclosed treatment vessel.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 displacing the DI water from the substantially enclosed treatment vessel.    
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 injecting a gas into the substantially enclosed treatment vessel to displace the DI water therefrom.    
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the substantially enclosed treatment vessel comprisesone of a spray/dump rinser, a cascade rinser, an overflow rinser and a Marangoni dryer.

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